


Wanted Most

by paladincoolcats



Series: Wanted Most and One Shots [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A SHIT TON OF INACCURACIES INVOLVING EVERYTHING OKAY GET OFF MY DICK, Agent Harry, Alternate Universe - Robin Hood, Alternative Universe - FBI, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blow Jobs, Budding Love, Criminal Louis, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Handcuffs, Harry is a year or two too young to be an agent but oh well, Humor, I have no idea what else to tag, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Modern Day Robin Hood, Oral Sex, Pining, Rimming, Romance, Smut, Swearing, theif
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:04:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 156,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paladincoolcats/pseuds/paladincoolcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.<br/>(I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Harry Styles pushed back in his chair, standing and stretching before sauntering out of his cubicle and down the narrow aisle towards the cubicle filled with raucous laughter. Sliding up in front of the small area occupied by two of his fellow agents, he smacked his hand loudly against the wall. Both agents inside jumped, turning with wide eyes and innocent looks to face their lead agent. 

"Agent Horan, Agent Malik," Harry barked out before the corners of his mouth quirked up into a smile. "What the hell has distracted you two this time?" 

"It was all Niall, sir," the raven-haired lad procclaimed, pointing to the blonde. 

"You can't blame Horan for everything, Zayn," Harry crossed his arms, leaning against the cubicle. "You're  _supposed_ to be filing that report on the robbery at that Tiffany & Co.? Jewellery theft isn't something we take lightly around here." 

"It's not him, Harry," Niall said slowly. 

Harry adjusted his brown curls, pushing them up into a windblown fashion on his forehead, "We don't have enough evidence to know  _who_ it was." 

"We've been after this guy for over a  _year_ Harry," Zayn pointed out, sitting on Niall's desk and picking up the manila folder filled with the latest theft reports. Yet, the manila folder didn't contain reports of the thief Harry was looking for. Only Harry had that folder. "I'm fairly certain we know his habits. Fairly certain  _you_ , of all people, know his habits." 

"Plus there'd be a new video," Niall pointed out. "There's no new video." 

Harry had quite the collection of those as well. Pre-paid phones, video cameras, even iPods. All of them containing personally recorded video one of England's most wanted criminals. Louis Tomlinson. From the moment Louis had started his thieving, starting small, so small that merely the police were involved, he'd been making videos. But as time went by, and the man kept up his thieving, he grew braver, went bigger. He even became brave enough to share his name. That's when the FBI stepped in. And the feud began. 

Harry considered himself the cause of Tomlinson's more direct videos. He'd made the stupid mistake of speaking to a reporter, something he refused to do any other time for the FBI's privacy reasons. But he'd been angry that day, furious, and when he'd been asked about the case, he simply claimed, "By God I swear, the next time I see that man I'll put him in handcuffs."

The very next video Louis left, he had gleefully exclaimed,  _"The man on my trail is the oh so handsome Agent Styles? That's brilliant, really! It's a shame we'll never meet. Ta, Styles!"_  

From then on, Louis only spoke towards Harry in his videos, simple things like,  _"Missed me again, dear Harold. May I call you that? Well, you can't tell me otherwise. Really wish I could chat longer but I really should dash, now. Ciao."_

Niall was suddenly clapping his hands together, startling Harry out of his thoughts, "Agent Styles. Earth to Harry. We were having a conversation, remember?" 

"I was thinking," Harry's green eyes flashed menacingly, and Niall sidled behind Zayn as Harry scoffed. "Anyway... just because there's no video doesn't mean he wasn't involved. Maybe he forgot one of his usual devices and couldn't make one." 

"Are you kidding?" Zayn chuckled. "There's nothing that crook loves more than to rub it in your face that he's already escaped." 

"Well he won't escape next time," Harry murmured. "We'll be ready, and we'll get him." 

"Yeah-" Niall began.

The lead agent's phone was suddenly buzzing from it's case on his belt loop, and he snatched it up and pressed it to his ear, "Styles." 

_"Harry, it's Agent Payne"_ their bosses voice sounded.  _"We've got another burglary. Garrard's Jewellery. 24 Albemarle St."_

"Yes sir, we'll be on it right away," the lead agent replied curtly. 

"Harry," Agent Payne continued. 

"Sir?" 

"There's a video camera." 

Harry's eyes clenched shut, his hand tightening around his phone, "That clever son of a bitch."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Late again," Officer Clutter pursed his lips the moment Harry stepped down from his black Suburban. 

"We weren't the ones called first, Clutter," Harry replied sharply. In all honest, he felt as if the police should have left the scene already and left it to the professionals. 

"There's already agents getting fingerprints," Clutter continued, trailing behind Harry as he marched towards the front door of the jewellery store. Typical signs of Tomlinson. Not a single broken window, door, or lock. He'd simply gotten in and out in some manner. 

"Is it even necessary to get fingerprints if we know who it is by the evidence they left?" Harry rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Clutter, you're free to go now. Let us handle this." 

"Where's your team?" Clutter chuckled, still practically breathing down Harry's neck as the young agent was standing in front of the counter and impatiently waiting for a women from the bureau to finish examining the hand-held video camera. 

Before Harry could respond, Niall and Zayn came striding into the store as Niall cleared his throat, and Harry motioned with his hand, "Here's two of them now." 

"Officer Clutter," Niall pursed his lips.

"You're free to go," Zayn offered him a forced smile.

Officer Clutter rolled his eyes but muttered something about the 'damn feds thinking they're the shit' under his breath, and he strode from the store. Harry's eyes fell onto his agents, "Horan, Malik... you two and always arriving fashionably late." 

"This is the first time in a long while," Niall pointed out. "We were stuck in traffic." 

"Yes, well," Harry sighed. "I'm about to pick up the video and then I'll take a report with the shift worker that found the missing jewellery." 

"We can wait for the video, for you," Zayn offered, glancing at the woman who was still examining the tape. However, she was clearly growing irritated at the three agents behind her, and she inched a bit further away to continue her work. 

"Very well," Harry pursed his lips. "I don't want you watching that video until we've gotten back to the agency, got it?" 

"We won't watch it without you, Harry," Zayn pointed out softly. 

The lead agent pointed a slender finger at him, "It's Styles when we're on the scene, Malik." 

Niall and Zayn shared a smirk before Harry brushed past them and slipped back out of the door, the bell above it tinging as he did so. He hurried across the pavement towards an obviously upset woman, no doubt the shift worker who had called. Flashing his badge at an officer who tried to stop him, he walked up in front of the nervous girl. 

She eyed him skeptically, "Someone else wants to bombard me with questions?" 

"I wouldn't say bombard, ma'am," Harry replied gently, offering her a hand. Although he rather enjoyed the fact that she was irritated and wouldn't attempt to hit on him like most unknowing women, given the fact that he was secretly gay, he needed her willing to share information. "Agent Styles with the FBI. Could I have just a few minutes of your time to ask a few questions regarding the robbery?" 

The girl huffed, but she shook his hand nonetheless, "Suzie Throwton. And it depends on the question. I've already answered all I know, and what I know isn't much." 

"Just step over here towards the building with me?" Harry asked kindly, and she nodded slowly. 

As they sidled away from the other officers and agents from different parts of the bureau, she folded her arms around herself, "I wasn't here at the time of the break-in. The store owner is on holiday, she asked me to take inventory... the shop is usually closed today since it's Sunday, so I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary." 

"So you came in to take inventory," Harry murmured. "You weren't supposed to work?" 

"No," she shook her head. 

"Do you have access to the security cameras?" he asked. 

"We will once Julie, the store owner, gets here. I called her but she won't be back until later this evening. She was catching the quickest flight." 

"What clued you in that the store had been broken into?" 

"When I went to unlock the door but ended up locking it instead. Someone had already unlocked it," Suzie replied. 

Harry pursed his lips. Louis was good, but how he could unlock a jewellery store door without a key was lost on the young agent, "So the person who broke in already had a key." 

"And they would have needed an identification card as well," she said slowly. "Unless they only exited from the front... then they could have just punched in the number code and turned off the keycard alarm." 

"It'll probably help us understand once we have those security tapes," Harry murmured. "How much was missing from inventory?" 

"Everything in the display case is gone," she squeaked. "Whoever it was luckily didn't get into the storage room where we keep the new shippings and the repairs we have sent in. But it's weird because they so easily could have, they unlocked that door as well. But I took the inventory anyway and nothing was missing..." 

"Just the display case jewellery?" Harry frowned. Louis'd had a chance to go all out, but he'd stopped at the minimum. 

"Yes... but I hadn't even noticed it was missing until I came back out of the unlocked storage room. I didn't even pay mind to the storage room though, I'd thought I'd heard the bell on the door clang like someone had entered the store. I thought it was strange... and then I saw that someone had left a camera. On the case. And the case was empty... but the case had to have been empty before, I think the unlocked storage room sent my imagination into overdrive and I only thought I heard the bell on the door. Yet, that's when I called the police, at the sight of the empty case. The camera, though, will that be helpful, Agent Styles?" she asked curiously. 

"We plan to watch it when we return to the agency," he said, not wanting to give out too much information. "We have a feeling it's a pretty significant hint towards who it was. Or I do, anyway, and I generally try not to jump to conclusions." 

"Are you the lead agent, or...?" she trailed off. 

"I'm lead agent, meaning on the scene I call the shots based on directions I've already been given by the lead of the bureau... we're straying off topic, but I believe you've told me all you could possibly know at the moment, so thank you for your time." 

"Agent Styles!" she protested quickly. "You're the lead agent, but you look so young." 

"Twenty-two, ma'am. Younger than my agents, but I don't think I'm the youngest there's been. Have a nice day, Ms. Throwton."

Zayn and Niall were already searching around in the store for any other possible entrance, Zayn clutching the video camera in a small plastic evidence bag. Niall stopped as Harry made the door ping again, a frown evident on his face, "Whoever it is, is damn good. We can't find a single place where they could have came in through." 

"Well he couldn't have come in through the front door," Harry's brow furrowed as he joined in the perimeter search of the room. 

"He, she..." Zayn murmured. "We can't jump to conclusions and be gender specific." 

"The camera, Malik," Harry sighed. "It's him. The bastard  _is_ damn good, why else wouldn't he have been caught yet? We'll just have to be better. I  _will_ see him in handcuffs, and if I can I'll be the one to cuff him." 

"If only we could get them to call us first each time there's been a-" Niall began, but Zayn was suddenly cutting him off by moving him out of the way and pointing to a decent sized air vent along the far wall,

"There's no screw in the top left corner." 

Harry was across the room in an instant, using his height as an advantage to pull at the vent. It wiggled, but it didn't budge, "Horan, Malik... scour the perimeter of the building and see if there's any sort of outer vent. I'm going to get a chair and... I think the rounded edge of a paper clip will loosen these screws... I'll remove the vent and see how well a person could fit." 

"They'd have to be slight..." Niall murmured. "Almost feminine, but if you think it's Tomlinson, Tomlinson is-" 

"Very feminine," Harry snickered. "You've seen the videos." 

The two agents nodded, slipping out just as a few more evidence gathering agents entered. Harry could feel the curious stares on his back as he dragged a desk chair over to give himself a bit more height, a paper clip he'd conveniently found out in the open pinched between his fingers. Wobbly, due to the wheels, he stood on the desk and went to work at the screws. As he'd expected, the screws were already loose and the paper clip worked efficiently to remove them completely. Once the vent grate was loosened, he hoisted it away from the wall and dropped it with a crash onto the floor. The vent duct was horridly dusty everywhere but the bottom half, and on the metal sides of the narrow passage, there were hand prints. 

The lead agent grinned largely, running a hand excitedly over his curls. Niall entered the store again, a grin to match Harry's, "In the back there's a vent about that size and the grate on top of it was removed so-" 

"Oh yeah," Harry leaped down from the chair. "Now that he's figured out this method, there's no doubt he'll use it again. Breaking locks and windows is too risky for him, he's learning well..." 

"It has been a year," Niall pointed out. "If he hasn't been caught yet he's obviously learning." 

"We're going to catch him," Harry mumbled determinedly. "Let's get back to the agency and watch that tape." 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Gathered in Harry's cubicle, the three gathered around Harry's desk as Harry attached the camera to his computer. Pulling up the video, he grinned largely as the familiar image of an attractive young man filtered in on the screen. He was in a dark turtle neck, his light brown hair stylishly swept into it's usual quiff. Always the formal theft.

Zayn chuckled at Harry's reaction, "You knew, mate." 

"We all knew," the lead agent replied, eagerly pressing play. 

_"Afternoon, Styles!"_  Louis' blue eyes twinkled mischievously.  _"Or, I'm assuming that's when this video shall be watched. You and I both know that I'll have already escaped. Whatever happened to the time you swore I'd be in handcuffs at my next store visit? That's all it is, really... I'm only visiting, don't mind me. Well, don't worry your handsome curls over me, I don't plan on getting captured anytime soon. The police are quite the bunch of pansies, aren't they though? You're so much better... just not quite good enough. Well, this video has gone on longer than usual, I really should end it_ ," the lad had began to tug nervously at his collar, something that didn't go unnoticed by Harry. " _Adieu, my dear Agent Harold_." 

The video ended, and Niall sighed, "Well... he didn't really give us a clue as to when and where he'd be be hitting next. He just mocked us... and the police, but-" 

"He almost got caught," Harry whispered suddenly. "He almost got caught, did you see him tugging at his sweater collar? He was panicking."

His hand shot forward, and he rewound the video back about twenty seconds,  _"-has gone on longer than usual, I really should end it-_ " Harry pointed just as Louis reached for his collar. Zayn looked intrigued now as well. 

"Again." 

Harry nodded, rewinding the video once more,  _"-I really should-"_ Zayn darted forward to rewind again, despite the irritated look Harry shot him.

"Malik, what-" 

"Listen! You can hear a sound in the background, something like a rattling... a key in the door?" the three listened, and Zayn nodded more insistently. "You can hear someone trying to unlock the door!" 

"But it already was unlocked... and she locked it again, he heard her, and that bought him time to hide! Under the desk more than likely, there's space large enough to crawl under I noticed as we searched the room," Harry gasped. "When we get the security tapes we'll probably see her walking in and heading right past the display cases without a second thought, she'll be headed towards the storage room. Tomlinson will crawl out from underneath the desk and he'll bolt out the door." 

"But that damn bell-" Niall shook his head. "She would have heard him." 

Harry's eyes widened further, "And she did hear him! That son of a bitch was in that very room with her, and when she stepped out for a moment he escaped!" 

"Do you think it's because he made his video too long?" Zayn asked. 

"If that's the case, let's pray to God he keeps making videos," Harry grinned largely. "Because we're steps closer to finding him. And we're  _going_ to find him." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

The rest of the week for the three agents was boring, limited to office work and filing things. By the next Monday, Niall was grumpily sorting through paperwork on his desk when Harry stuck his head into the cubicle, "Have you by chance seen Malik?" 

"He probably drowned in all this shit," Niall grumbled, lifting a handful of papers into the air before dropping them back onto the desk. 

"It comes with the job, Nialler," Harry rolled his eyes, but he turned away from Niall's cubicle and walked back down the narrow aisle, nodding at a few other agents from the office, and looked into Zayn's empty cubicle with a huff. 

But then he could hear someone walking up behind him, and he turned to meet his advancer. Zayn paled as Harry spotted him, grinning sheepishly and offering out a coffee that he carried in a carrier, "I uh... made a coffee run?" 

"Malik," Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I was literally about to commit my own felony sorting all those papers about different crimes," the dark-haired man groaned. 

"Get your arse in your cubicle and sort more papers," Harry snatched two of the coffees from Zayn's cup carrier, smirking to himself as Zayn hurried into his cubicle with his own coffee. Harry stopped by Niall's cubicle once more to give the blonde lad the warm drink. "Zayn decided to slack off long enough to get us coffees, so here." 

Niall whipped around in his chair, grateful for the distraction as he leaped up and happily took the coffee from Harry, "Can I slack off next?" 

"No," Harry told him, but then his phone was buzzing on his waistband and Niall was nearly throwing his arms in the air gleefully. 

"Let it be Payne, let it be Payne!" Niall crowed before Harry clamped his free hand over the excited man's mouth. 

"Styles," he answered. 

 _"Mappin & Webb Jewellery, 132 Regent St., Styles, and make it snappy!" _Liam rushed out. " _There's been a murder this time._ "

Harry's heart sank, because he honestly hated cases like this, and he waved his hands at Niall to send him to get Zayn, "Did they catch the person?"

" _No, but uh..._ " the man's voice trailed off, and for a moment he was so silent Harry was certain the call had disconnected. 

"Agent Payne, sir?" he asked. 

" _There's a camera, Harry,"_ Agent Payne sighed, and Harry's entire form grew stiff. 

"We're on our way..."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Harry rode with Zayn over to the scene instead of driving, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb as they drove in silence. Zayn was first to speak up as they neared the block with the jewellery store, "Just because there's a camera doesn't mean..." 

"I just didn't think he'd kill anybody, he didn't seem... violent," Harry huffed. "Out of all the robberies he's done not a single person has even had a finger placed on them."

 "Which is why I don't think it's him," Zayn continued. 

"But he is literally the only one who ever leaves videos... no one is cheeky enough to mock me," the lead agent dragged a hand across his face. 

"That's because no one's brave enough," the dark-haired agent smirked. 

Harry shot him a glare, but then they were pulling onto the block of the jewellery store. The half of the road in front of the store had been shut down, and it was a mess of flashing lights. Zayn was nearly stopped by a police officer as he tried to climb from the black suburban, but Harry rolled his eyes and leaned towards the driver's seat, "You officers aren't very observant, are you? Did you not see the bureau's license plate?" 

"Sorry, agent," the officer murmured, clearly more respectful than Officer Clutter, and he hurried back to speak to the officer who stood in the street directing traffic around the road block.

Niall pulled up behind the agents, and their newest team edition, Josh Devine, hopped out of the passenger side. Zayn and Harry strode towards the entrance of the jewellery store, stepping through the already open sliding doors. One of the panes of the glass sliding door had been shattered, and Zayn pointed to it.

"Broken window... that's not like Tomlinson." 

"It isn't," Harry agreed with pursed lips. "We'll have to see the tape to know for sure." 

Niall and Josh stepped up behind them, and Niall tapped Harry on the shoulder, "Think it was him?" 

"No jumping to conclusions, Horan," Harry pointed out, and with that he strode further into the store. 

In the far back hall, there was a small group of paramedics and a few people Harry recognized  from the forscenics part of the bureau. The lead agent slowly approached them, using his height to peer over their shoulders. They's surrounded a body bag. There was a gruesome spattering of blood on the white wall of the hall, accompanied by a dark pool of the liquid on the floor beneath where the body bag had been placed.

"Agent Styles," forscenic pathologist Ed Sheeran greeted Harry.

"Sheeran," Harry greeted the ginger haired man before he began, nodding down at the body bag. "Who, uh...?" 

"David Till, age fifty-two, shot in the throat. It appeared to be with a Glock 17. The bullet passed clear through his throat and now it's in a Ziploc with him in the body bag." Ed murmured. "Coincidentally, he was more than likely killed out of the sight of security cameras."

"What?" Harry frowned.

"Yes," the man nodded. "There aren't any cameras in the hall, they're all out in the main room. Nothing's back here but a closet of cleaning supplies and a back entrance. We're thinking he may have tried to escape after the thief broke in through the door, triggering the alarm, and whoever it was shot him before escaping out through the front again. We're waiting for someone to actually watch the security cameras, but we don't know why else Till would have been in the hallway."

Zayn was suddenly behind Harry, "Agent Sheeran, if I may... maybe Till was only just arriving at the store." 

"I was told there was a video camera left?" Harry asked, surprising himself with how hopeful his voice sounded. He was fairly certain that he hated watching Louis Tomlinson mock him. 

"It's on the jewellery case," Ed nodded. "We're about to move this guy to the lab, so you all should be free to look around." 

"We might watch the security cameras before we do anything else," Harry murmured. "Horan, Devine?" 

He turned to find the two talking to an officer near the front of the store, but they looked up towards Harry before heading over, "Sir?" 

"Will you all stay and see if any more assistance is needed?" he asked before he glanced at Zayn. "Malik and I are going to get the security camera information and take it back to the bureau." 

"Yeah, Agent Styles," Josh nodded almost immediately, and Niall shrugged. 

"Better than sorting files," he murmured, following Josh as they headed back over to the police officer by the door. 

Harry and Zayn, making sure to of course grab the video camera from the jewellery case, headed back to the bureau. Before they watched the video camera, they found their tech man Charlie Brook, asking him to help them set up the security camera video. He nodded, taking them to the room with the big screen, usually used for conferences. He set up the videos there for them, pursing his lips, "It should work, here... are you all ready?" 

"Go for it, Charles," Harry murmured, and Charlie rolled his eyes at the lead agent. 

He started the audio-less video, fast forwarding quite a bit as the only thing on the screen was the empty store, but then towards the top corner, a vent was suddenly falling to the ground. Harry jumped slightly, and Zayn managed to quickly speak up for him, "Play from here... but damn, we didn't even think to check the air ducts again." 

A slender figure in a dark sweater and dark pants dropped to floor from the air duct, slipping so gracefully across the room that Harry was slightly impressed. They'd tugged a black cap onto their head to mask their hair, and the camera was too far away to see the person's face, so as the obvious thief reached the jewellery case and appeared to be working at the lock with something, Harry looked to Charlie, "Can you pause it again and zoom in on their face?"

Charlie nodded, pausing the video and pressing a few buttons his laptop keyboard to make the video screen zoom closer. It was extremely fuzzy at first, but Charlie hit one final button, and the angled features of Louis Tomlinson appeared. Harry's heart nearly sank. Louis  _was_  their thief and the most probable suspect for the murder of David Till. 

"Okay, stop," he murmured. "We all can guess what happens next." 

"It... still might not be Tomlinson?" Zayn offered, seeming to know exactly how Harry was feeling. 

"Why does it matter if it was Tomlinson?" Charlie knew, knowing exactly who they were talking about. Louis was quite the topic of discussion throughout the bureau, as was his little videos to Harry. "It just gives you more of a reason to bust him." 

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "I suppose, it's just... he seemed to strictly be a thief. A cheeky, arrogant thief. Not a murderer." 

"Well," Zayn shrugged. "I guess we can't know much about a person from the videos they make. Should we watch the one he left?" 

"Actually," Harry sighed. "We should probably watch the security tape a bit longer... if he goes into the hallway... we'll know."

They watched as Louis finally managed to get the case open somehow, reaching inside and gently pulling the contents out to place in a bag he'd pulled from his shirt. The man finally closed the case, walking around and glancing around the store before he set down the bag, and much to Harry's dismay, hurried into the hallway. 

"But he doesn't even pull a weapon!" Harry groaned. "But..." 

A few moments later, Louis returned, seemingly adjusting his shirt. Zayn pointed to the screen, "Apparently turtleneck sweaters are perfect to hide things in." 

Louis pulled a square object from his shirt once again, and for a moment Harry was sure it was the Glock, but instead of a handgun shape, it was more rectangular. The thief held his arms out away from his body with the object, and then Harry finally caught on, "He's recording the video... maybe he says something about the murder." 

"Do you have the camera?" Charlie asked suddenly. 

"Yes, but... I want to see how he leaves," Harry murmured. "There's still the broken door." 

They watched as Louis continued his video, but then the man set the camera down on the camera and hurried back towards the vent. He replaced the cover, turning and moving towards the camera as he grabbed the bag off the floor and slipped it back into his shirt. Something seemed to surprise Louis, however, and he jumped suddenly, whipping back around to face the hall. He pushed at the door, before he finally grew frustrated and grabbed a chair from a row of chairs along the wall, swinging it to smash out the glass pane before replacing it and slipping out through the large gap. 

The camera continued on for a few moments, but then abruptly stopped. Zayn made a confused noise, "Um... what?" 

"The alarm could have interfered with the system?" Charlie offered. "It seems improbable, but Tomlinson had already escaped. There wasn't anyone to shut off the tapes."

"I guess," Harry murmured. "Can we watch the video camera here, as well?" 

"Do you have it?" Charlie lifted an eyebrow, and Harry nodded. 

"I'll have to grab it from my desk," he murmured. "I'll be back." 

He stood and hurried from the room to dash back to his cubicle and desk, snatching the camera up and sprinting back to the conference room. He handed over the camera to Charlie, who removed the card from the camera and placed it inside his computer. He clicked around, closing out of the security video to set up the video camera card. 

Within a few moments, the stylish looking image of Louis Tomlinson was on the big screen. Charlie chuckled, "That turtleneck..." 

Zayn snickered, "Let's just watch the video." 

Harry rolled his eyes at the both of them, watching anxiously as Charlie hit play and the video began. 

" _Hello, again Styles. This time I'll try and make this video snappy. Nearly got caught the last time... but you probably saw on the security cameras how I crawled under the desk. Hit my elbow pretty hard then. I may look like a stone-cold thief, but I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to injuries. I'll have you know the bruise is **still**_   _there. I'd show you, but I said I'd make this video snappy. I was thinking, yes? We should exchange numbers some time, have a real conversation. You're an attractive fellow, and I've always heard you say how much you'd like to take me out."_

"As in out of public to be thrown into prison for life!" Harry spluttered to no one in particular.

" _Anyway,"_ the video continued, and Louis adjusted his quiff slightly. " _Hopefully crawling through the vent hasn't mussed up my hair, too badly... I've got to dress to impress London's most attractive lead FBI agent. Anywho... I must run now, get back to me on that swapping of numbers deal... oh wait. You can't catch me."_

And then the video ended as Louis flashed a smirk that sent a mix of rage and a strange emotion coursing through the lead agent's veins. A strange emotion that he realised with a frightened sense of horror was border line  _attraction_ towards the cheeky thief. To cover it up, he cross his arms and scowled, "He said absolutely nothing about the murder... sick bastard." 

"He never says much about what he does, just reminds you that you have yet to catch him," Zayn sighed. "We need to write down the report and let Payne know that Louis  _is_ the probable murder suspect." 

"Yeah," Harry said slowly. "Let's do that now." 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Later on that night, in a cheap hotel room on the outskirts of London, Louis Tomlinson sprawled in his boxers on a lumpy mattress. If he'd had a choice in the matter, he'd use his pocket money for a bit pricier hotel, but usually the cheaper ones didn't run background checks, didn't I.D him, and he could get a room under the name "Bob Saget" and still not be questioned. However, he usually mixed up the celebrity names a bit just to see what he could get away with. 

As he sprawled on the bed, he flipped to the 10PM News, the most notorious for giving details on the most recent crimes. He figured he could have made one of the lead stories by now, and he wasn't ashamed to admit that he hoped FBI agent Harry Styles had been interviewed again. He would absolutely have  _loved_ to hear what Styles had to say about him. He'd always been a bit intrigued at the thought of Harry Styles, one of the youngest lead agents, and then when he'd first saw him on the news that had been it. Not only was the man highly attractive, beautiful even what with his almost femininely plump lips and unruly curls that he had pushed into a windblown fashion above his forehead, but the man was  _intimidating._ He swore that he'd have Louis handcuffed, he was  _challenging_ Louis openly. And Louis found that intriguingly sexy. 

Yet, as he watched the news that night, he was saddened to see that there was no Styles interview to go along with the robbery cover story. He listened boredly to the story he already knew as the news reporter's voice droned on from the crappy speakers on the even crappier television, " _Yet another jewellery store robbery took place again this morning, with the thief once again escaping. We received word from an inside source that the thief is yet again none other than the notorious Louis Tomlinson. Only this time, we're beginning to wonder why the FBI has been unable to catch him. His actions are growing far worse, and this time, a man by the name of David Till has had to pay the price."_

"Who on earth is David Till?" Louis asked aloud, sitting up to reach for a bowl of grapes he'd managed to snag from the hotel worker at the front desk. 

_"David Till was found dead in the back hallway of his jewellery store after Tomlinson set off the alarm."_

"What?" Louis gasped, dropping the grapes and scrambling off the bed to frantically press the volume buttons on the remoteless television. "I didn't kill anyone, no one was in the store!"

" _Not only is Louis Tomlinson a thief, but he is now considered a murderer."_

Louis smacked his head in confusion, falling backwards to sit unhappily on the grungy floor, "Well shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

It was a week and a half before Harry and his team had to deal with Louis and his thieving ways again. Their week wasn't as boring, however, what with having a bit of live action due to a hostage situation at a restaurant and then once again at a bank. Luckily, however, they'd caught both of the criminals. And Harry wondered why on earth they couldn't ever catch Louis. 

Hell, they couldn't even get into the same building as Louis. They were always too late. And now that Louis was a probable murderer, that brought a new light into the situation. Whereas just bringing their guns, their guns that were always somewhere on them anyway, they had to move on to the full Kevlar vest. 

"I guess all criminals have to snap eventually," Harry sighed to Niall as they sat in Harry's cubicle. "I just figured Tomlinson was more towards the sane side of things. He basically just seemed like a cocky asshole in his videos. But I didn't consider that he could be a murderer." 

"Nobody can predict these things, mate," Niall shrugged. "S'not like we could have stopped his becoming of a murderer anyway." 

"We could have had we caught him by now," Harry muttered lowly. "We should have caught him by now." 

"Well, I'm sure we'll catch him eventually," Zayn poked his head around the corner to say. "Finished filing shit." 

"Thanks," Harry rubbed at his temples. "Um... I'll let Payne know we've caught up." 

"Maybe you should take a day off, man," Zayn offered, leaning against the cubicle wall. "This whole... Tomlinson being found as a murderer business is getting at you." 

Harry shook his head quickly, because no. As lead agent, he couldn't let cases get to him, "It's not that. I just don't like that we haven't caught him." 

But that was a lie of course. Yes, Harry wished that they had caught him, but he also wished that Louis had stayed that gentle thief that didn't break windows or locks, he simply got in, took what he needed, and left.

"Well maybe-" Niall began, but then Harry's phone was buzzing against his leg, and was quick to pull it from the holster is rested in. 

"Hold that thought, Ni," he murmured, answering the phone and pressing it to his ear. "Styles." 

" _Agent Styles,_ " Agent Payne's voice came out in a rush. " _95B Hatton Garden, M &G Jewellery. They've got Tomlinson trapped inside, the place is surrounded. Gear up and get down there." _

Harry's eyes widened, shooting Zayn and Niall a pointed glance to let them know to tell the other team members to get ready, "Yes sir! On it." 

The lead agent hung up with a click, sprinting to the lockers as he heard Zayn bellowing out, "Hurry it up now, lads!" 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Louis was fucked. Utterly fucked. He could hear the police calling to him from outside the building, threatening to break the glass and pry the bars open if he didn't let them in. But if he got caught... it wouldn't end well. He couldn't get caught. So he'd locked himself in, desperately searching the back of the surprisingly large store for some sort of entrance, but he could hear the police in the back as well. They'd arrived so quickly that he hadn't even had time to make a video for Agent Styles. Yet, he hadn't triggered an alarm and no one had been at the store yet, so someone had to have spotted him picking the lock in the back and creeping in that way. 

As he silently cursed the store for having too many unnecessary rooms and the vents for being too small for him to crawl through, a clatter from a closed door. He yanked it open instantly, quietly fearing there was a hidden worker that had reported him, but he was nearly bowled over by a lanky and much taller dark haired man. 

"What the hell?" he croaked out, the video camera he kept hidden in his waistband tumbling onto the tile floor. 

Glaring down at him was a man Louis had stumbled off more than enough times, a man who went by the name of Nick Grimshaw, "Tomlinson." 

"Fuck off, Gremlin," Louis grunted, trying to push the larger man off of him. "What are you doing in here?" 

"Trying to get you caught," Nick snapped, but he moved off of the smaller man to let him to his feet.

The police were still hammering at the doors out in the main room, but Louis and Nick were well out of sight, "You turned me in? Nick! You're an idiot! You know if I get caught then I'm not the only one who'll be affected by it, it's going to hurt a lot of-" 

"Shut up," Nick rolled his eyes. "I'm risking my own arse here, too. You're a waste of a thief and what you do is pointless."

"I don't keep anything that I steal and you know it," Louis stabbed a finger against Nick's chest, silently seething at the fact that he had to look up at the taller man. But he could be threatening if he tried his damndest. "I sell the jewellery and then I-" 

"I know what you do," Nick sighed. "But it's pointless, worthless. You've even got that attractive Agent Styles on your case. And you're so damn smug about it. Everyone knows your name and I just think it's time for you to be taken out so a new thief can shine. Me. I've even killed somebody and  _you_ got credit for it." 

Louis blanched at that, instantly pulling his hand back in disgust and stumbling backwards in surprise, " _What_? You- you killed that poor man at the last place I hit? Nick, you- I don't want credit for that! I'm not a murderer!" 

Nick shrugged, moving his hand to his waistband, "I'd shoot you as well, but I'd much rather let you get caught..." 

Louis' eyebrows slowly raised as he realised just what was happening, "Nick... you do realise you're trapped in here, too, don't you?" 

Nick's eyes slowly widened, "Son of a-" 

From the front of the store there came the sound of shattering glass and a familiar deep voice called out, "FBI! We're coming in!" 

Nick was suddenly bolting across the hall as Louis looked around in a panic. He peeked out into the hallway himself, but all he could see was the curve of the hallway where it opened into the main room. If he went out there, he'd be giving himself in and that wasn't an option. Even if it meant getting a face to face conversation with Harry Styles. 

He could then hear something tugging at the metal bars, and he knew he had to act fast. He sprinted out of room and down the hall away from the main room to where he knew he'd seen an electric box. If he could kill the emergency lights, that would make it easier for him to hide in the windowless place. Just as he'd wrenched open the box and flipped the black switch that plummeted him into darkness, he heard footsteps pounding around in the main room and dashed through the dark hall to hide in a room filled with boxes. Much to his horror, as he crawled blindly through the dark, he crashed into another warm body. 

"Damn it, Tomlinson," came the quiet curse of Nick, Louis crawled clear across the room almost immediately, spacing himself out from Nick. They sat in silence and tried to quiet their breathing as they listened to the rooms being searched around them. 

"I think he's in the first room of the hall!" a voice called out. "The bag was left in here!"

And footsteps could be heard moving away from them. However, the light of a flashlight suddenly cut through the darkness of the room, and a tall, slender yet strangely bulky silhouette stood in the doorway. A deep voice chuckled out, "We've finally got you, Tomlinson. Just come out and make things easier." 

Harry Styles. Harry Styles was searching the room. Louis could tell from the tall figure and the way the hair was swooped up in strange, windblown fashion. He crouched lower behind the boxes, desperately hoping they blocked him from the beam of light. But curiosity got the best of him, and he peeked around the corner once again to see where Harry was. The lad was further in the room now, and much to Louis' joy he was rather close to where Nick was. However, Harry began to shine the light behind a certain stack of boxes, seemingly about to put his gun in its holster on his waist, and then Louis could see as Nick leaped up with a bellow and seized Harry by his shirt. 

The agent gasped out, and Louis could see the dark shape of Harry's gun clattering to the ground and skittering out of his reach. Shit. However, Harry, always the clever one, brought the flashlight up to swing it around as if he were going to brain Nick. Louis felt a strange surge of pride for his favourite agent, but then Nick had something pressed to Harry's forehead, and Harry froze as Nick hissed out, "Lower the flashlight." 

"You're not Tomlinson," Harry gasped, keeping the flashlight raised above Nick's head. He was clearly trying to decide if he could whack him before the slightly taller man put a bullet in him. 

"No shit," Nick laughed quietly. "Lower the flashlight, sexy."

"Son of a bitch," Harry spat out, but he did as he was told. "If I yelled for help, there'd be agents on you in a second." 

"But there'd also be a bullet through your forehead," Nick snapped. "You were supposed to catch Tomlinson, not me. You won't be needed though... I'll pull the trigger and I'll dash out the back door. Everyone will be too busy rushing in to your aid to notice me rushing out. But they'll find Tomlinson. He's still in the store somewhere, was actually in this very room not too long ago. And when they find your lifeless body, just like they found that other bloke at the other store, they'll blame Tomlinson when he's not even a murderer to begin with." 

"You're responsible for the murder of David Till?" Louis could hear the disbelief in Harry's voice. "And you let Tomlinson take the blame?" 

"Unwillingly, yes. I still think I should be given credit." 

"You're sick." 

Nick laughed then, "And you're handsome. It's a shame I'm going to put a bullet through your forehead. How about we play it extremely cliché here... any last words?" 

Louis' heart was in his throat. He couldn't sit by and watch a good agent get killed, especially if this agent was Agent  _Styles_. So with grace that even surprised himself, he dove forward to snatch up Harry's gun that had slid across the tile floor, aiming it at Nick, "How about fuck you?" 

"What?" Nick whipped around in surprise, just as Harry swung the flashlight and caught the man on his shoulder.

Louis fired the gun even though he had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and felt slightly as if his whole arm had almost been blown off as the gun kicked back. The bullet completely missed Nick, hitting the wall a few feet to his left, but it sent the man shoving Harry out of the way and bolting down the hall. 

Voices shouted loudly, and Louis had to dart forward fast as he pulled Harry back into a standing position from where he'd stumbled into the wall, slipped the gun into his holster, and stood taller on his toes to whisper in his ear, "Stay pretty, Agent Styles. Sorry I couldn't leave a video." 

And then he left Harry standing in shock as he sprinted out of the room just as more agents rounded around the corner and an Irish accent called out, "Holy shit, he's escaping! Someone get Styles out of there and someone get that thieving asshole!" 

Louis burst out the back door, ducking the hands of police officers and weaving as he heard shots firing from behind him. He raced down an alley, and then out across a busy street as he narrowly avoided being hit by cars. Only when he reached another alley and crumpled into a heap behind a dumpster did he stop to catch his breath, heaving in great gasps as he rested his head on the dirty pavement. He hadn't gotten the jewellery this time, but Nick hadn't killed Harry. Or anyone for that matter. But much to Louis' dismay, he hadn't seen Nick in custody of the police either. Which meant Nick had escaped, too. Louis knocked his head against the cement in frustration.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Harry couldn't do much but let Zayn drag him from the room filled with boxes and out the front of the store so fresh air could clear his head, his mouth still hanging open slightly. As the lead agent, the back of his mind was screaming at him to get his shit together and take charge again, but the twenty-two year old side of him was constantly reminding him that he'd nearly just been killed. 

"Styles! Styles, mate!" Zayn was saying insistently, lightly shaking Harry's shoulder. "Harry!"

Harry's eyes flickered finally to meet Zayn's, "Did you get him?" 

"Who was it?" Zayn snapped angrily. "Was it Tomlinson? Shit, we were for sure that he'd shot you." 

"No..." Harry shook his head slowly, moving his hand to touch the gun that had been returned to him. "Tomlinson isn't a murderer... there were two people." 

"That's what the police outside are saying, and they both got away because the police fucking suck." 

"Were they together, do you know?" Harry asked, slowly beginning to gather his senses. "There was a dark-haired one, taller than me kind of... had a gun but he dropped it. In that room with the boxes." 

"Yeah, we've bagged it and we're having it taken back to check for prints. There was a video camera in the hall as well," Zayn examined Harry closely, almost worriedly. "Are you alright, are you hurt?" 

"No, not hurt," Harry murmured. "I'm confused." 

"We all are mate, how did two guys get in here if only Tomlinson was reported? I thought Tomlinson worked alone..." the lad ran his hair anxiously through his quiff, turning to glance behind him through the broken glass at the agents still cautiously searching inside the store."

"Yes, but-" Harry began, but then Niall was rushing out of the store and to Harry's side.

"Shit, mate," he croaked, clapping Harry lightly on the shoulder. "Thought for sure you were down in there- heard the gun go off, worst feeling in me life! Should have been backing you up, so sorry Styles-" 

"Niall, relax," Harry sighed, feeling far from relaxed himself. But he figured if Niall noticed he was using first name basis then he'd figure everything was alright even though it probably wasn't. "I shouldn't have been searching the room alone. It was stupid and I nearly died because of it." 

"Did you not pull your gun in time?" Niall asked. 

"A guy knocked it from my hands and had the bullet pressed to my forehead in an instant... was gonna knock him out with my flashlight but he would've splattered my brains all over the wall and floor." 

Zayn groaned, "That's why vests are pointless in situations like those, s'why we should gear up with helmets as well like some of the other members of the team."

"But he dropped his gun and bolted?" the blonde agent shook his head in confusion. "Found it on the floor... Glock 17, same weapon that was used to kill David Till. Was it Tomlinson's?" 

"No... I don't think Tomlinson has a gun. But the man with the Glock didn't ever fire his"

"Well someone fired their gun!" Zayn pressed, seemingly intrigued now. 

Harry nodded, moving his hand to the gun in his holster, "Yeah, my gun was fired." 

"I thought you dropped it?" Niall pointed out. 

"I did," the lead agent ran a hand through his sweaty curls. "Tomlinson fired it. But not at me. He fired it at the other guy, the one holding the gun to my head." 

"He  _helped_ you?" Niall practically screeched. 

"He fucking saved my life," Harry shook his head in awe. "And then, when the guy dropped his gun and ran, he shoved me into the wall. I was a bit dazed and my ears were ringing from the shot, but Tomlinson grabbed me and pulled me into an upright position, put my gun back in its holster, then told me to stay pretty and apologised for not leaving a video. Then he was gone, too." 

Zayn and Niall both stared at Harry in shock for a moment, glanced at each other, and then Zayn spoke up, "Is he keeping you alive because he likes the chase?" 

"Anyone could chase him," Harry huffed. "We're all chasing him, it's not just me. I have no bloody idea why he kept me alive. He didn't even try to kill the other guy, though. I think... I think he just doesn't want anyone getting hurt? He's not a violent thief. Like I thought... I didn't think he'd killed David Till, and even though it made sense on the video that he was the murderer, he wasn't. He's actually just a thief, but he's a thief with a heart." 

"Because that makes sense," Niall groaned, rubbing his hands across his face. "Are we ever going to catch this guy?" 

"I really hope so," Harry shook his head slowly. "God, I really hope so. But now we have to worry about the other one, too. For whatever reason he was there at the same time of Tomlinson so they're either partners or enemies. I'm gonna take a guess here and say enemies considering Tomlinson fired a gun at the guy." 

"The police said they both ran off in different directions," Niall supplied. "They chased them for a bit, but you know the police..." 

"Can't do a damn thing right," Harry chuckled humorlessly. "Well... if our criminals have already bloody escaped us, we need to get back to the bureau and see if they can find the owner of that gun."

Zayn and Niall both nodded in agreement, but before Harry could turn around to head towards the Suburban, there was instantly a microphone and large camera of a news reporter being shoved into his face. He spluttered in surprise as Zayn stepped forward, "No, no questions." 

"Just a few," the woman reporter said insistently. "Just a few and then you can go." 

"Nothing classified," Harry grumbled. "I won't tell you anything that's happened." 

"We already know Tomlinson was involved, we were informed by the police," the reporter said excitedly as the three agents continued to glare at her. "We also know you and Tomlinson had a sort of Agent/Criminal rivalry going on. Any words towards him?" 

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, because in all honesty, a part of him wanted to catch that bastard. But another part, the soft side he preferred not to reveal often, wanted to thank Louis for saving his ass back in the store. He pursed his lips, keeping a straight face before he replied, "Nothing's changed. I'm still a professional agent, Tomlinson is still a criminal, and my team and I are going to catch him. But if for some strange reason he's listening to this... and this is probably going to seem weird to anyone else... but thank you, Louis." 

The reporter's eyes widened, but then Harry stepped around her and walked off, Zayn and Niall flanking him on each side as the camera and reporter attempted and failed to follow them.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

In another crappy hotel, more towards the busier side of London, Louis once again sprawled out on the scratchy hotel sheets as idly watched the news. He was focused more on where he would hit next. He generally tried to keep at least a week or more's time between the places that he hit, because it wasn't like he liked the  _aspect_ of stealing... he just liked the outcome of it, after he'd already sold the jewellery and taken the money somewhere else. Somewhere... beneficial. But since he'd dashed out without his bag that time he wouldn't have any jewellery to sell, and he wouldn't be taking money  _anywhere_. He'd barely had enough pocket money to rent the hotel as it was. The only source of food he'd allow himself to buy was an apple. The rest of the scarce money he had  _had_ to go towards something else.

He sighed, glaring down at the map he had in his hands covered in scratches and circles. He didn't want to start hitting the same place twice, but he'd revisit old jewellers of necessary. However, as he continued to study the map before him, something on the news caught his ear, made his head snap up. 

" _In our latest coverage, turns out the supposed murderer Louis Tomlinson is just a thief after all. Due to a run in with FBI Agent Harry Styles, we have no discovered that the actual murderer of David Till is a man by the name of Gavin Summers."_ _  
_

"That's not his name!" Louis groaned. "It's Nick Grimshaw, _Nick motherfucking Grimshaw!_ " 

_"There'd been a gun abandoned at the scene of a crime traced back to its purchase by Summers, and while sources will provide that Tomlinson wasn't wielding a weapon, they won't tell us what Tomlinson was doing there with an armed man. It is not yet concluded whether or not Tomlinson and Summers are partners. However, interesting enough, when asked to say a few words towards Tomlinson, Agent Styles gave us this."_

Louis straightened up in surprise as the handsome agent suddenly appeared on the screen. He seemed slightly irritated, and Louis couldn't tell if it was at him or if it was at the camera in his face. But Harry slowly replied in his easy to recognise deep voice, _"Nothing's changed. I'm still a professional agent, Tomlinson is still a criminal, and my team and I are going to catch him. But if for some strange reason he's listening to this... and this is probably going to seem weird to anyone else... but thank you, Louis."_

Suddenly, the frustration of trying to find a jeweller to steal from wasn't as frustrating anymore. It meant he'd get to leave his next message to Harry, a message that maybe he could make a little less mocking... give Agent Styles assurance that he was still doing a great job at being lead agent. Because the usual hard-shelled agent had  _thanked_ him. As Louis sank back against the pillows on the bed, he smiled to himself as his stomach fluttered happily with something that definitely wasn't butterflies. He was a man, and he was much too old for butterflies. Even if Harry was extremely attractive and slowly growing on the thief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Just to play it safe, Louis prerecorded the video he would leave for Harry  _before_ he hit his next jewellery store. He couldn't risk being caught, and he couldn't risk Nick Grimshaw trying to expose him again. But  _mainly,_ he couldn't risk Nick trying to kill Harry again, because in his opinion Nick wasn't entirely sane and would no doubt give killing Harry another go. And Louis kind of liked Harry. 

He knew it was crazy, he and Harry should absolutely loathe each other considering their occupations, but Louis had developed a fondness for the attractive agent. Louis could tell he was an excellent team leader and that he put his team and his work before himself, and although he used those traits to try and arrest Louis, the thief couldn't help but admire him. It was strange, but Louis found himself wanting to befriend the agent. He just couldn't since Harry was kind of out to have him arrested. 

Louis kept his next robbery short and sweet. He crawled in through the air ducts on a Monday before the worker arrived, carefully picked the lock on the jewellery case, placed the jewellery in his bag, and then left the video camera on the case as he unlocked the front door, since there was no back, and casually slipped out of the building. The hotel he was staying in wasn't far off, and he strolled down the sidewalk with his bag as the sound of sirens sounded in the distance. More than likely the police. He knew that if Harry and his team were alerted first every time then things would probably be difficult, but people were idiots and the police were idiots, and Louis always got away. 

Upon reaching the cheap hotel, he took the lift up to his room only to drop off the bag, change from his black turtleneck and black pants into something less conspicuous. With that, he slipped back out of his room and headed back out onto the street, considering getting as close to the crime scene as possible. It was slightly dangerous and he knew how simple it would be to have his cover blown, but he was hoping he could steal a quick look at the lead FBI agent when he arrived. 

He leaned against a building across the street, standing just outside what the police had blocked off. The FBI had yet to arrive, so Louis simply waited boredly as the police stood around outside the store and rubbed their hands across their faces in frustration.

"Idiots," Louis chuckled quietly to himself. 

"I could say the same about you," a voice from behind him grumbled. 

Louis startled immediately, whirling around in horror to find Nick standing with his shoulder in a sling and a scowl on his face. He forced himself to visibly relax, but his mind was still screaming at him for being so careless as to let someone sneak up on him, "Hello, Gremlin." 

"I could scream your name and blow your cover," Nick smirked. 

"And I could tell everyone that  _you_ were the one who tried to shoot a federal agent." 

"Please do, I wasn't given proper credit," Nick sighed, and Louis rolled his eyes. He may or may not have mentioned Nick's first name in the video he had left, but he'd avoided leaving Nick's last. He wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Nick continued, snapping Louis' attention back onto him. "But the reason I'm here is... it's not you that I'm necessarily after anymore..." 

"That's great," Louis turned back around to face the flashing lights of the police cars. "You should go back to abiding your time elsewhere, then." 

"No need to be so rude," Nick laughed, and Louis felt the man's hand curl tightly around his forearm to tug him back around. 

"Let go," he hissed instantly, and Nick did, but he stepped into Louis' view. 

"You hate Styles, too, right?" Nick asked. "Hate his arrogance, his good looks. He thinks he's the toughest shit, and frankly I find it-" 

"He's not arrogant, and even if he was he'd have every reason to be," Louis instantly snapped, catching both himself and Nick off guard with his defense of the lead agent. He was quick to cover up, however. "He's damn sexy." 

"I've decided to put my hate for him over my hate for you," Nick explained slowly. "If I team with you... it'll get my name out there. And Styles has to pay now. He fucked with my shoulder when the only reason he was alive to do so was because  _you_ , you little shit,  _distracted_ me. Why the hell did you do that, anyway?" 

"Because no one has to get hurt," Louis spat at him, already feeling a deep sense of loathing towards the taller man. "Especially Harry, he's only doing his job." 

"Oh you're on a first name basis, hmm?" Nick crooned. "I saw his little message to you on the news. But the last time I checked 'Harry' was out to ruin your life." 

"No, I'm doing that myself," Louis pointed out. "I don't even know Styles personally. So no, we're not on a first name basis." 

"Right."

 At that moment, the familiar black Suburban of the lead agent was flying up to the curb behind a cop car, and Louis stood on his tip toes to watch as Harry climbed out of the vehicle. Almost immediately the person in the passenger seat, a lad with blonde hair, was flanking Harry's side as they strode towards the building. Nick's previous words rang out in Louis' ears again:  _Styles has to pay now._

He snapped his head back around to see what Nick was doing, and much to his horror the man was  _gone._ But then he spotted him across the street, walking away from the scene. He scrambled after him, slight nervousness making his limbs clumsy. He could crawl through air ducts and pick locks without fault, but in confrontation he shook like a leaf. Louis considered himself one of the most pathetic thieves there was. 

"Gremlin!" he hissed as he stumbled up behind the taller man, but the lad simply ignored him. "Fucking-  _Nick_!" 

"What the hell do you want?" Nick whirled around in irritation. 

"What are you planning on doing?" Louis asked nervously. 

"You want in?" Nick cocked an eyebrow. 

"Sure," Louis lied. He'd sooner shoot himself in the foot, but of course he'd probably miss, then join in with the tall, quiffed asshole. 

"Well for starters," Nick grinned. "I was going to use your methods to lure Styles to the scene. The police force are absolute shit, they'll think that you, which will actually be me, are already gone. But I won't be gone. I'll simply be hiding, and when they send Styles and his team in to take a look and retrieve the camera you always leave, I'll put a bullet in his head. And you won't get credit for it then, I'll tell everyone who I am on that camera and then they'll know that  _I_ am actually the greatest thief of the century and not  _you_." 

The entire time Nick was talking Louis felt himself growing sick to his stomach. Nick was actually going to kill the lead agent, he had a  _plan_ to kill Harry. He was never good at maintaining a poker face, he always let his emotions flit across his face before he had a chance to stop them. He could only hope he'd stopped his disbelief before Nick had caught it, "Oh I see... and when are you going through with this plan." 

"Soon," the man murmured, absent-mindedly rubbing at his sore shoulder. "I don't need a good shoulder to fire a gun."

"Sure you do," Louis said weakly. "Some of those things have quite the kick, I say give it at least two months so you can fully heal and-" 

"Are you in or not, Louis?" Nick asked harshly. "I'm thinking about doing it tomorrow." 

Louis' eyes widened, and then he did what was probably the stupidest thing he could have done. He bolted. He ran across the street and back up the way he came, stumbling into the hotel and standing panting in the lobby. He knew Nick probably hadn't even tried to chase him, but he'd panicked. Nick was planning on trying to kill Harry the very next  _day_. Louis barely knew the curly haired person but he was young, younger than Louis even, and he was fantastic at his job. He couldn't just be  _killed,_ Louis wouldn't allow it. But he didn't know how he could stop Nick, he'd ran away from him. Nick would know that Louis wasn't actually in on his plans. He didn't even know what store Nick was going to put his plan to action in.

He sat down in the tiny and slightly dirty lobby, running his hands through his hair as he racked his brain. He didn't even have a few days to  _warn_ Harry with a video camera. He'd have to go straight to the agent and tell him himself, but he couldn't just waltz into the federal bureau, he'd have to find Harry away from it. Some place where he wasn't surrounded by other agents... a place like his house. And it was probably a stupid thing to do, but Louis instantly began to think of ways that he could get to the agent's house. 

To even find Harry's house he'd have to follow Harry. As he continued to tug slightly at his hair, the idea suddenly came to him. He'd catch a cab to the bureau, rent the hotel room for an extra day, and he'd find Agent Styles' vehicle. He was so used to seeing him arrive in the bureau's black Suburban that he'd have to hope the man at least went to his car once before he officially left. But he didn't have time to form a solid plan, he was just going to have to rely on quick thinking and swift behavior, something he had no problem with while thieving. So he tossed some cash to the lady at the front desk, gave her his room number, and dashed back up the steps to retrieve the bag of jewellery. 

Instead of having the cabbie take him straight to the bureau, he had him take him to the small shop that sold coffee a little ways down the street from it. He walked to the bureau from there. The black Suburbans still hadn't returned yet, so Louis waited by a car in the car park. When the agents returned, he'd pretend to be fumbling in his pockets for his keys. The fall weather was chilly, and he almost wished he'd left on his black turtleneck. Yet that would blow his cover for sure.

But finally, after about fifteen minutes of standing in the slight cold, a black Suburban finally pulled into the carpark next to a black Range Rover. Louis' eyes widened as he began nonchalantly fumbling at his pockets and bag as if looking for something, but he stole continuous glances at the Suburban until the blonde haired agent jumped from the passenger side, "Toss me your keys. S'in the console you said?" 

Louis watched as the blonde caught a set of keys that were launched toward him, shutting the door and turning to the Range Rover just as Agent Styles climbed from the Suburban. His heart raced in terror as Harry glanced at him, but as he patted at his pockets, Harry shut the door and walked around to help Niall. Louis used that as the opportunity to duck around to the other side of the car and peer at them through the windows. 

"No, not that bottle-" he could hear Harry saying. "Yes, there you go. Thanks, Nialler. I'll need some paracetamol watching this video, no doubt. Tomlinson always puts me on edge." 

"Don't stress too much, mate," Niall patted Harry's shoulder, handing him the keys. "Here. I bet you could talk Payne into letting you leave early... or you could just leave early, I'll cover for you. We don't have any immediate filing." 

"I appreciate it, but I can't," Harry sighed. "Let's go watch this video." 

Louis watched as the two agents walked inside, wondering if there were more. He decided it didn't matter, scooping up his bag and walking as slowly and calmly as he could manage towards the Range Rover. Any jerky or sudden movements could alert someone  _inside_ that he was up to something. But luckily he knew Agent Styles and the other agent had to go several floors up to reach their floor. He reached the backseat of the vehicle opposite of the building doors. He didn't want anyone seeing him testing the lock. 

His heart was in his throat as he hesitantly curled his fingers up and under the handle, murmuring, "Please don't be locked,  _please_ don't set off a car alarm..." 

But as he pulled up and out, the door opened. Unlocked. Louis could hardly believe his luck. He scrambled into the vehicle, shutting the door behind him and climbing over the backseat to curl up in the very back of the spacious Range Rover. Now all he had to do was wait and hope Harry didn't have a reason to open the back.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Harry was surprised Agent Payne had even let him go to the crime scene, surprised he and the team weren't removed from the cases considering he'd nearly been shot at the last one and  _would_ have been if it weren't for Louis.

Liam hadn't been happy that Harry had thanked the thief over the news, either, but Harry couldn't feel remorse for that. Tomlinson had saved his life, and he owed him that small gratitude. 

"If you're going to get too involved I'll put someone else on this," Agent Payne had warned. 

To which Harry had replied, "I'm fine."

He said he was fine, but in all honesty he was confused. The lad was even more confused as he watched the latest video that Louis had left at the crime scene he'd escaped from  _again._ It wasn't as mocking this time, it obviously wasn't filmed at the scene, and it almost seemed... consoling:  _Hello, Agent Styles! Me again, Louis... I saw what you said on the news and I was really surprised! Thank you for thanking me. You might want to have the news tell everyone that they've got the wrong murderer_ **again _._** _I'm sure you knew that, though, you saw Nick face to face. Ooh... I probably shouldn't give out his last name, though, that's only what he wants. You and I, though, we've been playing this game for a while. Don't get discouraged that you can't catch me, yeah? S'not your fault, I'm sure you'd be on top of things if you were informed sooner. I don't give you much to go by either. Just know I still think you're the best damned agent there is. I'll end this video now before I confess to you my undying love. Farewell, my good agent._

Niall was the first to speak after the video, "He's something."

"He is the most stressful thing I have ever had to deal with in my life," Harry groaned. 

"Take the rest of the day off, mate, clear your head," Niall suggested. 

"No..." Harry sighed, looking back to his computer screen where the thief was standing and looking unfortunately attractive.  _Damn it._ "Malik is already out with the flu, if Payne calls us out again you and the rest of the team will be down two members and I don't like that. Someone could get hurt." 

"There's ten more of us, Harry, not including the-" Niall began. 

Harry lightly poked Niall in the chest, "Nialler. I'm not leaving you all just because a case is trying to get in my head. I won't let Tomlinson bug me, I'm fine. Now... go file some paperwork or something, let's get ahead while we can." 

For the rest of the day Harry filled out paperwork, filed it, and continuously glanced at the drawer where he stored all the video collection that Louis had left him. Niall checked in with him several times, insisting that he was okay to leave for the day, but Harry told him each time that he was fine, that the Tomlinson case wasn't bothering him. But in all honesty, it was like the annoying fly that wouldn't leave, constantly buzzing at the back of his brain. 

He just didn't  _understand._ Louis could have let Harry been killed, could have killed Harry  _himself_ but instead he'd scared off the man, apparently named Nick, who was going to kill him. And then, just to  _fuck_ with Harry's mind even more, Louis had gone and sincerely told him through a video that he thought Harry was the best agent there was. By the time the day ended, Harry was close to beating his head against the desk. He left the moment Niall did, at 5pm. 

"Get some sleep, Harry," Niall told him as they parted ways in the car park. "And give me a call or something if you need to rant about the whole Tomlinson thing."

Harry offered Niall a small smile. Always the caring lad, the Irish one was, "Thanks, Niall. I will." 

Harry hit the unlock button on his Range Rover, slightly surprised to find that he hadn't locked it back. He shook his head at himself and climbed into the driver's seat, glancing back behind him out of force of habit. He checked his mirrors, a slightly paranoid act he'd been doing the past week since he'd nearly been shot. But like always, he didn't spot anyone around, so he turned on his car, flicked on the heat to get rid of the chill, and backed from his parking space to leave the car park. 

He lived about twenty minutes from where he worked, and his driving time unfortunately allowed him to focus on whatever cases they had at the time. But mainly the case that he'd been dealing with for over a year. The moment he reached his small cottage on the outskirts of London, he was out of the car and hurrying into the warm house. He removed his holster from around his waist, hanging it on the coat pegs just inside the door before closing the door snugly behind him. 

Before he did anything else, he hopped in the shower to rid himself the smell of the office. However, it was better than days he came home smelling of sweat and gun oil. Those days usually involved more stressful situations. In the shower, he was scrubbing the conditioner from his hair when he could have sworn he heard his front door. In a small cottage like his own, sounds could be heard easily. He could talk in a normal voice in his bedroom and have his guests, usually Niall or Zayn or both the two, hear him from the kitchen. He brushed it off, however, finishing up his shower and standing under the warm spray a bit longer and rubbing at the muscles in his neck. 

Reluctantly, he climbed from the shower and crossed the hall into his bedroom, tugging on a pair of boxers, sweats, and loose cotton t-shirt before slipping down the short hall towards the kitchen. Yet he remembered the sound of the front door, and stumbled into the dark living room to flip on the lights, which were unhelpfully by the front door. He flipped on the lights and checked the door, locking it before he spun around for the greatest surprise of his life. There was a man sitting on his couch. He sucked in a sharp breath, "Who the hell are-" 

But then his entire body went rigid as he took in the brown windblown hair, the high cheek bones, the blue eyes. Louis Tomlinson, the thief he'd been after all this time was seated on his couch. The man raised his hand casually, "Hey Agent." 

"Holy shit!" he croaked, grabbing for his gun from where it hung from the peg, flipping off the safety and aiming it at Louis. "What in the actual fuck?"

 "Such vulgar language," Louis replied, seemingly trying to keep calm, but Harry watched him do what most criminals did in the line of a gun as he squirmed uncomfortably. "Could you maybe not point that at me?" 

"You're in my house!" Harry hissed, confused as to why the man was being so... innocent. "Stand up." 

Louis did as he was told, taking a step towards Harry, "I just-" 

"Don't take another damn step," Harry demanded, trying to keep his voice steady despite the bewilderment he felt. "I'll shoot you where you stand." 

Louis frowned at that, "You'd really shoot me? I haven't done anything wrong..." 

"You have been robbing jewellery stores for well over a year you little shit, how is that not doing anything wrong? You've broken into a federal agent's house and-" 

"I actually just let myself in, I didn't break anything." 

"So now you're being smart?" Harry growled. 

"Okay, so I lied, I accidentally tripped over a flower pot along the walk-way and cracked it. But it was dark and I couldn't see!" Louis frowned. "I can pay for it." 

"I bet you can," Harry huffed, but he lowered his gun slightly, aiming at Louis' hip instead of his chest and throat. For some stupid reason, he felt odd pointing the gun at the thief when he'd been in a similar situation and Louis had gotten the gun away from Harry's head. "You've had to steal over a million pounds in jewellery." 

"I don't have that money," Louis shook his head. "And that's not why I'm here. I'm here to help you." 

"Are you turning yourself in?" Harry asked in surprise. 

Louis winced at that, "No... I'm not here to help with that. I'm here to warn you." 

Harry felt his face blank as he let his gun completely fall to his side, "Warn me that you're going to make me lose my position and make me the biggest laughingstock in all of England?"

"Maybe not the  _biggest_..." Louis' thin, but strangely pretty Harry cursed, lips quirked up in a grin. "No, okay... so remember that guy that tried to kill you?" 

Harry nearly raised the gun again, but he bit his lip, "Nick... s'that what you said in the video?" 

"Nick Grimshaw, yes," Louis nodded, clearly pleased that Harry had remembered. Harry almost smiled at the lad.  _Almost_. "Well you see, I talked to him and-" 

Harry had the gun whipped back up at Louis in an instant, and Louis instantly stopped talking as Harry snapped, "So you're partnered with the guy that tried to kill me?" 

"Fuck, no!" Louis spluttered. "He's an asshole. I'm here to tell you that he's making another plan to kill you..."

The lead agent instantly let the gun fall back to his side, his head snapping back in surprise, "He still wants to kill me?" 

"You hurt his shoulder with the flashlight, so he's bitter," Louis replied, and Harry was surprised to see Louis grinning proudly at him. "He had a sling on when I saw him today. Again... not partnered with him, but he found me and wanted me to partner with him."

Harry stared at him in disbelief. After an entire year of a cat and mouse game filled with mocking videos and clever break-ins, Louis Tomlinson was daringly standing in his living room just to warn him that some guy wanted to kill him. He couldn't even  _begin_ to wrap his head around what was happening. He considered reaching for his phone in the holster to call backup, but instead his free hand rose to pinch the bridge of his nose, "Do you know what he's going to do?" 

"I do!" Louis crowed gleefully, starling the lead agent even further. "I tricked him into thinking I wanted to help him... only then I ran like the chicken I am. But basically, he was going to recreate a robbery like mine... leave a camera for the police to find because we all know they're useless. Of course, they'll call you in to get the camera and check the scene because usually I'm gone by then, but Nick won't be. Nick is just going to wait for you to get there, and he'll come out of from wherever the hell he's hiding and... you can probably interpret the rest."

Harry swallowed hard, because it could have worked had he not been warned. He'd become accustomed to Louis not being there after break-ins, he wouldn't have been cautious at all and he could have ended up being killed as a result, "Oh wow." 

"Basically," Louis murmured, lifting a hand to scratch at his head. Harry fought back a flinch at the sudden movement. 

The curly haired lad forced himself to regain his composure, shaking his head, "Well I- I still have to turn you in." 

Louis sighed, "I'll have to escape you, then. I was hoping you'd give me a chance to help you catch Grimshaw." 

"I plan to do that tomorrow, now that I know what's up," Harry replied, lifting his jaw higher. "I don't need your help anymore." 

Louis seemed to be panicking slightly, looking around desperately for a way to escape, "What if I- at least give me a few more days! I have some things I need to take care of." 

"Putting more money in your bank account?" Harry asked skeptically. 

"I've already told you none of that money goes towards me... okay well  _some_ does but the mass of it goes toward something else. I could show you, if you give me a chance?" Louis pleaded, and Harry scowled at the thief. 

"What kind of agent do you think I am?" he snapped. 

"I've already given you my thoughts on what kind of agent you are," Louis murmured honestly. "Sunday. Give me until Sunday." 

Harry stared in awe at the thief. He'd spent over a year trying to capture the sneaky shit, and now that he was standing in Harry's living room he just expected Harry not to arrest him? Harry shook his head instantly, "No... I'm going to have to arrest you now." 

"Harry I didn't want to resort to reminding you that I saved your life, gave you a chance but I really can't be caught right now-" Louis croaked out, backing up frantically and snatching a bag that more than likely held jewellery off the couch. He clutched the back protectively to his chest. "Please. Sunday. I'll do what I need to do Sunday and then you can arrest me." 

The lead agent huffed. He'd be putting his job on the line by waiting. But Louis seemed desperate to do whatever he had to do on Sunday. Less than a week. If he waited a year, he could wait less than a week. He bit his lip, and against his better judgment he breathed, "How can I trust you?"

"Well you aren't pointing a gun at me anymore," Louis motioned to the gun Harry held at his side. "And I haven't tried to advance upon you yet. In fact, you're kind of scaring the shit out of me right now."

"Because you don't want to be caught," Harry snapped, stepping towards Louis again and watching as the thief's shoulders slumped. 

"You can turn me in after Sunday, I swear," Louis promised. "I'll take myself to the bureau if that's what you want." 

"After Sunday," Harry hissed, hesitantly reaching to slide his gun back into its holster. Louis' face lit up in a grin, but Harry quickly interrupted. "Under several circumstances. You don't leave this house. You don't talk to anyone. You give me the jewellery you stole today." 

"Um... not the last one," Louis held up a finger. "I need those for Sunday." 

"Damn it, Tomlinson," Harry huffed. 

"Last time though," Louis said quickly. "I'll be in a prison for probably the rest of my life after that." 

"You're damn right you will be," the lead agent reached for the handcuffs that were kept on his holster as well. Louis frowned at the sight, and Harry hesitantly approached him. "Just because I'm not turning you in just yet doesn't mean I'm not treating you like a criminal. Turn around, hands against the wall, legs apart." 

Louis arched an eyebrow, "That's... uh, alright." 

The thief turned around, following Harry's instructions. Harry stepped forward, patting his hands down Louis' sides, his chest, his legs and bum, "Making sure you don't have any weapons." 

"Not gonna lie, Agent Styles," Louis purred teasingly. "This is kind of a turn on." 

"Shut up." 

"Yes sir," Louis snickered. 

Harry scowled at him, but decided he was weapon free. He seized the man's arm, hooking the handcuffs to his right wrist and dragging him to the couch. He pushed the boy into a sitting position, moving one of the cushions slightly to reveal a metal bar and attaching the other handcuff to it, "There. If you try to escape, you'll have to take my couch with you." 

Louis pursed his lips, "I'm not escaping."

Harry examined the man, and then his eyes flitted to the bag of jewellery Louis had dropped on the floor. He walked over to them, picking them up and pursing his lips, "I'll be taking these." 

"Wait..." Louis croaked. "No, I need those! Please don't take them, I-" 

"It's so if you  _do_ manage to escape the handcuffs, you won't leave without these. I'll be sleeping with them under my pillow, so have fun getting them."

"Okay..." Louis squeaked. "But if you take them you're breaking the deal and I won't- I won't let you turn me in." 

"Alright," Harry nodded once. "Now that we've sorted that out... I'm going to make myself a sandwich."

"Oh." 

Harry watched the lad's eyes widen hopefully, but he turned on his heel and marched from the room. The entire time he made the two sandwiches, he was listening hard for any sort of movement in the living room. Yet Louis didn't make a single sound, so Harry put the sandwiches on two separate plates and carried one back into the living room. Much to his surprise, Louis had twisted oddly on the couch, seemingly trying to pull the bar from the couch.

"What are you doing?!" the lead agent spluttered. 

Louis looked up in surprise, "Trying to move the handcuff's position so I can get comfortable." 

"Well don't," he huffed in relief. He was making the worst mistake ever.

The thief's eyes fell hungrily on the sandwich, and Harry held it out to him silently. Louis looked skeptical for a moment, "What?" 

"It's for you." 

"What'd you do to it?" 

A surprised bark of laughter escaped the young agent, "Nothing. But you're smart to be skeptical. It's just a sandwich, mine's in the kitchen." 

Louis cautiously took it, using his free hand to pick up the sandwich and messily bring it to his mouth. Harry left the man on the couch, walking back into the kitchen to sit and eat his sandwich in silence. He eventually could hear shifting coming from the living room, and he dropped his plate in the sink and crept into the living room to find Louis trying to find a way to lay down. The good guy inside of him told him he should probably take the handcuffs off so the guy could sleep, but the agent in him told him that he shouldn't trust a criminal. So he left the handcuffs on, walking into the living room to pick the plate up off the floor. 

Louis glanced up at him, "Uh... what if I have to use the restroom?" 

"I'll get you a bottle," Harry replied curtly, smirking to himself at the look of horror that flashed across Louis' face. 

"What if I have to shit?" Louis pointed out. 

"Well I guess you're holding it until I can assist you to the bathroom then, aren't you?" Harry arched a brow, and Louis sighed, slumping into an uncomfortable looking position with his arm all bent underneath him. 

"Can I at least have a blanket?" he asked. 

"I don't think they give blankets in prison," Harry pointed out. 

"Okay..." Louis lowered his gaze to the floor. 

Harry groaned, "Let me put the plate in the sink, I'll take you to the bathroom so you can take a damn piss, and I'll get you a fucking blanket. Anything else I can do for you princess?"

"A glass of water would be nice," Louis replied hopefully. 

"You're unbelievable." 

But Harry dragged the older lad to the bathroom anyway, standing outside the door as he listened to Louis whistle a happy tune from the inside. He considered it the most ridiculous thing he'd ever had to deal with. He heard the sink running, and then Louis was stepping out and offering his handcuffed arm to Harry, "I took care of both things, so I should be good for tonight." 

"As long as you don't chug the glass of water I get you," Harry grumbled, dragging Louis back to handcuff him to the metal bar in the couch again. He retrieved a thin sheet and a glass of water for Louis, thrusting them out at him. "There." 

"Thank you, Harry." 

"It's Agent Styles," he snapped. 

"Alright," Louis nodded. "Um... goodnight Agent Styles?" 

Harry grunted in response, turning and flicking off the light to leave Louis in darkness. Whilst he would normally strip down to boxers or even nothing, he left both his sweats and his t-shirt on. He didn't feel comfortable being completely naked nor half naked while a criminal was trying to sleep handcuffed to his couch. He had a feeling Louis wouldn't be sleeping with the way he was handcuffed, and much to his surprise, he couldn't sleep either. 

He continuously got up throughout the night to stumble into the living room and peek at Louis. Each time, Louis would giggle, "Hi." 

"Shut up," Harry would grumble as he sulked back to his bedroom. He finally dozed off around 5:30am, only to be jolted awake when his alarm went off at 6am. "Well shit." 

Even if he was repaying Louis for saving his life, technically twice, he was already beginning to consider giving Louis until Sunday the worst decision of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Louis considered himself an idiot. He was weak hearted, foolish. He wasn't sure what put him under the impression that he could go tell Harry of Nick's plans only for Harry to just let him free. Of course it wasn't going to work like that, the agent had been after him for over a year. And now he was handcuffed to the agent's couch, and it wasn't even in a pleasant way either.

He didn't sleep at all, considering he couldn't lay down without his arm curling awkwardly and uncomfortably underneath him. But to his amusement, Harry didn't sleep well either. The younger man stumbled into the living room, looking unfairly nice in simple loose sweats and a t-shirt, nearly every thirty minutes throughout the night, and Louis couldn't help but laugh every time and greet the man with a, "Hi."

But when the agent stumbled into the kitchen at, judging by the clock on some sort of cable box, 5:40am he shot Louis a glare. Louis simply shrugged, sitting up and rubbing at his cuffed wrist with his free hand. The metal was a bit tight and scratched at his skin. He could hear the agent knocking around quietly in the kitchen, and eventually he came in and stood in the doorway, illuminated by the light of the kitchen. He had a mug cradled in the long fingers of one of his hands, and Louis couldn't help but admire him. He had some sort of button up that he'd tucked into jeans, and whereas Louis usually cringed when people tucked their shirts into their pants, he couldn't help but feel that Harry pulled it off. He had a strong feeling the attractive man could pull off most fashion tragedies.

"How's that couch feeling for you?" Harry finally spoke up, and Louis pursed his lips.

"The handcuffs are rubbing at my wrist wrong, but I'm fairly comfortable," he sat back on the couch, nestling down into it and covering up with the sheet Harry had given him to prove his point. "Cozy."

The lead agent pursed his lips, "Well that's good. You'll be there for the remainder of your stay."

Louis fought back a groan, realising that if he wanted out of the handcuffs then he was going to have to sweet talk, "But... the handcuffs are a bit tight. Will you loosen the one on my wrist? Please?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "I don't think I will."

Before Louis could protest some more, he walked back into the kitchen. The thief huffed, draping his unhandcuffed arm over his eyes and letting his head slump back against the couch. The agent was good at his job, Louis had to give him that. He only showed slight sympathy, but otherwise he was tough and hard-shelled. Louis let himself fall over to the side, his arm still bent painfully underneath him, but pressed his face into the worn leather of the couch. If he wasn't handcuffed to the thing, he might actually like it.

The whole cottage in general was quaint. It was small, but it was homey and had a coziness to it that made Louis feel like staying awhile. But he couldn't stay. He wasn't welcome. And Harry was going to try and take him to  _jail_ which he couldn't allow. He had to get away from the agent, but he had to gain his trust first.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a hand prod at his back, and he pulled himself up into a sitting position only to have a plate thrust at him. There was some toast and bit of jam on it, and then Harry offered him a cup of tea, "There's only a bit of milk in there. I didn't know how you liked it."

Louis stared in shock at the man, but hesitantly accepted the food and tea, "Uh... thanks."

"I have to leave here soon and I'm not entirely sure how to get you lunch..." Harry pursed his lips. "I won't be back until about-"

"5:45," Louis nodded, and Harry's eyes widened. "I hid in your car."

"You hid in my-" Harry spluttered.

"Well I didn't know where you lived, and I had to warn you before today," Louis explained, taking a sip of the tea Harry had handed him. It was actually pretty decently made. "Nice tea, mate."

"I'm _not_ your mate," Harry scowled. "Don't think we're mates, I can't be mates with a criminal."

"But if I wasn't a criminal?" Louis used his toast to point at Harry before taking a bite.

"But you are."

The thief huffed, "Theoretically  _speaking_ agent, humor me here."

"On less than two hours I have no time for humor," Harry replied firmly. "What about crackers for lunch, can I give you a package of crackers to hold you over until I'm home?"

"Look at me, Styles," Louis chuckled. "Do you see this stomach? What makes you think crackers will hold me?"

"Don't give me that, I've seen the air ducts that you squeeze through," Harry scolded. "So if you're trying to imply that you're fat I'll tolerate none of that."

Louis pouted, "Fucking crackers, though?"

"Pardon me, I forgot that you were the damn princess," Harry rolled his eyes, but he stomped from the room and into the kitchen. Louis could hear the man rustling around before he dropped a paper bag beside Louis, "Crackers, biscuits, crisps. The lot. There's some juice in there as well."

"Aww," Louis cooed. "Thank you!"

"Figured I'd at least give you something since this will be luxury food for you after Sunday," Harry pointed out, and Louis' heart sank. Once again, he was reminded that he had to escape before Harry could turn him in.

"I'm only twenty-four, I'm too young to go to prison," Louis attempted for a joke. He finished the toast that he'd been gradually nibbling on, took a final sip of his tea, and then looked around for a place to set his cup down. A wooden coffee table was placed in the center of the small living room, and Harry pushed it closer to the man.

"I'm only twenty-two. I'm too young to feel like dealing with your bullshit. There. You can put your stuff on that," Harry replied, taking Louis' mug and putting it on oak-y surface. "I need to go now, just... stay here. If I come back, and you're not here, I'm going to find you. And this time, I won't give you time to do whatever the hell you have to do."

"Understandable, Agent," Louis mock saluted the man, propping his feet onto the table only for Harry to automatically push them back off and take his empty plate and pick up his empty glass of water from the night before.

He pointed a finger at Louis, his jaw taunt and his gaze firm, "Don't screw this up. I'm helping you with this last thing because you helped me."

"Oh!" Louis sat up straighter, instantly remembering what the bastard Nick Grimshaw was planning. "Hey... Nick is supposed to... like with the hiding in the jewellery store and-"

"I know, Tomlinson," Harry said slowly, his tone hinting towards a smirk. "You told me yesterday."

Louis felt guilty that Harry hadn't gotten any sleep then. He'd need his wits about him if he was supposed to find Nick in the store and avoid being shot. His attentions after all, had been to avoid that happening. He tried to move his hands up to wave them around, but his cuffed one snagged and he winced out, "I mean like... be careful? You didn't sleep well and just have back-up this time or something so-"

Harry was staring at Louis in surprise, but he nodded slowly, "Yeah... I will."

"And bullet proof vests and all that stuff?" Louis asked. "Helmets?"

" _Yes_ , Louis," Harry said, surprising Louis with the use of his first name.

"Well like," Louis shrugged. "I'm fucking handcuffed to your couch because I came to warn you not to get shot. And if you did end up getting shot I'd be stuck here for life with this handcuff cutting off my circulation." 

Harry looked hesitant then, pulling at his lower lip before sighing, "Is it really that tight?"

"Yes," Louis answered instantly, trying but failing to hold his wrist out for the agent to see.

The curly haired man looked torn, but he walked to the pegs on the wall and dug his hand into his holster before returning to Louis and reaching untrustingly for his wrist, "Don't try anything funny, I'm only loosening it."

"Thank you..." Louis murmured, extending his arm to the best of his ability so Harry could unlock the cuff. He went to loosen it only, but Louis quickly protested. "Actually, since you'll be gone all day may I have another bathroom break?"

"Right," Harry nodded. "Yeah sure."

They made it snappy, Harry leading Louis to the bathroom and letting Louis relieve himself before dragging him back and sitting him on the couch again. He leaned down and cuffed Louis back, and Louis grinned, "Thanks again."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry straightened back into a standing position. "Don't even try getting your hand out of there, because you can't. But it's looser on your wrist."

Louis nodded, wiggling his arm, "Much better, that used to hurt. However, it's also hard to lie down. So... feel free to handcuff me to another surface. I'll even let you'd handcuff me to the bed, if you understand where I'm coming from."

"Don't," Harry's finger was instantly against Louis' chest. "I'm a professional agent and I'm not about to be sexually harassed by a criminal when he's lucky I'm giving him until Sunday to get his shit together before I throw him into prison."

Louis sighed, deciding to keep things cheeky, "It was simply an offer."

"Offer not accepted. You aren't leaving this couch, and there isn't going to be any sexual activity," Harry said firmly. "I need to leave now, I prefer being first to the bureau."

And with that, Harry spun on his heels and stormed over to his gun holster. He slipped it around his waist before putting on a black jacket, and then he was opening the cottage door and exiting. Louis pursed his lips, flopping boredly back against the couch. Harry hadn't even handed him the television remote that was placed on top of the small television set.

As Louis looked around the cottage, he realised just  _how_ small a lot of the things were. The flat screen, the couch, the  _room_. The floor was wooden and cleanly swept, but a thick cream colored rug was placed under the short coffee table. The walls were a rich dark green, but from the bit of the kitchen and hall that he saw the walls were a lovely beige color. It was all lovely, and he hadn't expected anything else from the handsome agent, but he was surprised at the smallness of it all.   
Harry was not small in the slightest. He was slim, but he was long, and Louis was certain that if Harry wanted to keep him from escaping he simply had to fold up the smaller boy in his grip and Louis would stay there for as long as Harry wanted. Or maybe it was just the hopeless romantic inside Louis shining through.

It was silly. He didn't even know Harry well, but he would  _like_ to know him well. Yet, the more he thought about it, he decided he'd like to sleep as well. From previous experience, he knew sleeping with the handcuffs on was nearly impossible. Louis thought for a moment, realising that with Harry gone he could attempt to free himself, get the jewellery from under Harry's pillow, and he could be on his way. He could make sure the agent was alright after busting Nick by watching the news on a cheap television at the hotel.

So with that, he twisted on the couch and pulled at the cushions to try and find the bar he was handcuffed to. He knew the hand cuffs weren't coming off, but he hoped that maybe he could pull the bar free or unscrew it somehow. As he found it, he felt along the smooth metal surface for where it was attached to the rest of the couch, finding a bolt with a simple line for a flat-headed screw driver. Of course, he didn't have a screw driver, but he thrust his free hand into his back pocket and tugged out a coin that Harry hadn't felt during Louis' pat down. With difficulty, he managed to worm his right hand down into the space to wedge the coin into the slot of the screw to twist it loose. He placed the screw on the coffee table so he didn't lose it, and gave the bar a tug.

He huffed as it didn't budge, grumbling to himself, "What on earth made me think it would only be screwed in at one place?"

He had to completely twist his body to reach the next place, unscrewing the other screw and, to his upmost joy, pulling the bar up towards him. The couch squeaked in protest, but he figured it must not have been too important because it remained intact. But as he pulled the long bar out from between the back and the cushion, he groaned. The bar was more of a long oval shape and had no opening to slide the handcuffs free. He wasn't only stuck with the handcuffs, but he was stuck with the bar.

Louis left the screws for Harry anyway, pushing his slightly greasy fringe off of his forehead with his free hand as he stood, gathered the bag of food Harry had left for him, and walked down the hallway in search of the agent's room. He recognised the bathroom, but he'd never gone further. He opened a door to find a closet filled with towels and blankets, another door opened into some sort of small office, and then the door at the end of the hall opened into a bedroom painted just like the living room. The wood floor in it was slightly more cluttered, clothes dropped here and there. But against the middle of the wall to right as you walked through the doorway, there was a large bed that was seemingly out of place in the small bedroom. It was unmade, but it looked soft and the thick white comforter looked welcoming.

The thief carried his accompanying bar over to the bed, lifting the pillows only to find a note with neat scrawling on it,  _You actually thought I'd tell you where I put your bag of jewellery? I'm ashamed in you Tomlinson. But if you're reading this I'm also extremely pissed that you broke my couch, so don't be surprised if I throw you into prison sooner. We both know you're not leaving without the jewellery._

But Harry was right. Louis couldn't steal  _more_ jewellery. He'd already stolen a first set for absolutely no reason, he needed this set for Sunday.  So instead of trying to dig through Harry's belongings to find the jewellery, he kicked off his shoes that he'd never gotten to take off, dropped the bag of food, and decided he'd make good use of Harry's shower. It was difficult to strip, get clean, and then clothe himself again with the metal bar that he had to force through his shirt sleeve, but he managed. Once he was in clean clothes he wandered back to Harry's bed and climbed beneath the covers. Harry's mattress was so much more comfortable than a lumpy hotel mattress, and it felt heavenly not to be handcuffed to the couch. Granted, he still had the bar, but it was movable, and he was able to nestle warmly down into Harry's sheets. They smelled like the other man, a smell that Louis found quite enticing. It was oak-y, much like the smell of his entire house, but it had a tint of cologne that complimented the overall unique smell of a person.

Louis' sleep deprived mind made him long to smell the smell for the rest of his life, and pulled a spare pillow close to nuzzle his face into. He couldn't even be bothered with the fact that he was being creepy, he just  _really_ liked the way Harry smelled. So much so, that he threw all cares of Harry being angry out the window and fell asleep snuggling the young agent's pillow and unfortunately the metal bar from the couch.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

When Harry finally received the unsurprising call from Payne saying there'd been another robbery and that a video had been left, he'd made sure to have his entire team gear up. They'd been confused, used to the routine of going to the already abandoned crime scene to basically get security tape footage and the camera Louis always left. But this wasn't Louis, he just couldn't let his team know that he knew that.

"It's best to play it safe," he explained loudly to them all as they quickly tugged on their Kevlar vests and helmets.

Niall and Zayn looked confused as well, and on the drive over, Zayn slowly asked, "Do you think Tomlinson is still there?"

"I don't know," Harry lied. "I just think we should start playing it safer. Even if Tomlinson isn't violent Nic- the guy that was there before is. We didn't know he was there with Tomlinson the first time, and we might not know when he's there again."

"I guess that's a good point," Zayn agreed.

As they arrived on the scene, Harry immediately called out, "Alright, half of you surround this place, but half of us are going in as well. I know they said the threat is gone, but something's not right. You just have to trust me." 

With the police's help, they effectively had what they could of the store surrounded. There  _were_ narrow spaces on each side of the building, but Harry felt certain that the only methods of escape were through the back or through the front of the building. When the lead agent felt sure that his team outside was correctly placed and somewhat safe, he hesitantly took the other half inside. Like always, Zayn and Niall flanked close behind him. They'd worked together longer, and although Harry trusted all of his team, kind of had to, he trusted them the strongest. But of course, he'd never admit it to anyone else. 

They crept through the store, peeking into the storage closets, the room where jewellery was repaired, and even checking the main room, but there was nothing. Harry tried not to groan as he slowly put his gun back into his holster and moved to take off his helmet. Yet just as he had started to lift it from his head, the large vent high on the wall was pushed with a loud clatter to the floor. Harry yanked his hands away from his helmet and reached instantly for his gun in his holster, but then a shot rang out, he felt the impact of it against his chest and vaguely heard Zayn and Niall gasp his name over the ringing in his ears. 

"Stop him!" Harry managed to croak, wincing as bullet holes instantly scattered across the wall around the vent. "Not like that, outside, where does that vent go?!" 

He ignored the throbbing of his chest as he bolted out the door, only to see a man about his height sprint out from the side of the building, duck past a confused police officer, and take off down the street. Harry bolted off after him, propelling himself after the man. He could hear Zayn racing up after him, "Is he the only one?!" 

But Harry didn't respond, simply trying to push his legs faster to close the distance between the thief and himself. But his already aching chest screamed in protest, and stumbled, grabbing onto the nearest wall for support as the thief raced away, "Damn it-"

"Was there more than one guy?" Zayn asked him suddenly. "Was that Tomlinson?" 

"No," Harry panted, clutching his chest. "I don't know who that was. But he fucking got away." 

He felt Zayn's hands on his shoulder, trying to pull his hunched over form into a standing position, "It's fine- are you hit? I heard the gun go off so-" 

"In the vest, yeah," Harry waved his hands off. "It'll bruise more than likely, I've had worse."

"You're fucking  _wheezing_ mate, and you're rather in shape so something tells me it isn't just from running," Zayn murmured. 

"Okay, so it smarts a bit," Harry huffed. 

Zayn stepped in front of Harry to examine the vest, reaching out and prodding at the hole in the vest fabric, "Shit, that was close to your throat... here right?"

"Fuc-  _yes, ow-"_

"Maybe you should get that looked at, or sit down, or shit mate I don't know," Zayn sighed. 

"We could go back to the bureau?" Harry sighed, placing a hand lightly over his injured chest.

"C'mon, Agent," Zayn offered a small smile. "Let's go get the camera and head back to the bureau. We, uh, we have to tell Payne about the vest. And your chest." 

"Damn," Harry sighed, but walked with Zayn back to the store. Instantly a few of the police were tossing questions at Harry, asking where the man had went, why Harry hadn't stopped him. 

"Hey, fuck off," Zayn said immediately. "I didn't see you all doing much either, and Agent Styles has a reason. He's been hit, in the vest yeah, but what I know you all don't know is that it still hurts like hell. He'll have a nasty bruise." 

Harry sent a silent look of gratitude towards the agent, and then Niall was storming out of the storm with a scowl on his face, "Fuckers wanted the camera, but I got it. Here." 

"Thanks," Harry murmured. "We'll have someone pick up the tapes, we don't need any further investigation." 

Zayn drove the Suburban back instead of Harry, and Niall left his vehicle for another of the agents to take back, riding with the other two lads instead. Harry grimaced each time the seat belt pressed too hard on his chest, and Zayn glanced at him worriedly, "You alright?" 

"The adrenaline is leaving, so-" 

"So your body is telling you that your chest hurts like a bitch?" Niall offered.

"Exactly," Harry chuckled, but then regretted it. The younger agent looked over to Zayn, finding he was still frowning. "Is there a problem, Malik?" 

"Just," Zayn shrugged. "We almost didn't gear up. We usually don't, you know? Since Tomlinson is gone when we got there. And if we hadn't of geared up, you probably wouldn't be riding in the passenger seat."

The lead agent was taken aback at his friends worry. He arched his brow, deciding to take the joking approach at comfort, "Hey. You've been here about as long as me, you could go for lead agent."

"No," Zayn shook his head. "I'd probably transfer elsewhere." 

"Same here," Niall leaned forward and patted Harry's shoulder. "Don't wanna work for London if you're not lead." 

Harry fought back a grin, but he was quick to reply, "Payne's good though. He usually picks decent lead agent's... excluding me." 

"Don't put yourself down, clearly you're decent if you haven't developed enemies inside the bureau," Zayn pointed out. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Really though, how is your chest? And don't down play it either." 

"I could go for some painkillers and a nap," Harry replied with a sigh. 

"Payne's going to make you go home for the day," Zayn reminded him. "He always does if something happens on the scene." 

"I actually don't think I'll be protesting this time," Harry sighed. "Let's just watch the video, I'll talk to Payne, and then I'll fill out the report for the vest tomorrow." 

"Or I can fill the report for you today, Niall and I can watch the video, and we'll show you tomorrow," Zayn replied as he pulled into the bureau's car park. 

Harry, however, decline, "I want to see the video... but I'll take you up on the first offer. That would be fantastic and I'd owe you something in return."

Zayn simply chuckled, and the three agents made their way into the bureau. Harry was out of his vest and uncomfortable black clothing the second he was in the locker room. He looked down at his chest in the mirror, wincing to find it a deep, yellowish purple. Lightly tracing a finger over the swollen skin, he grimaced, "That's going to be even more of a pain in the morning."

Niall winced in sympathy, "You should get some ice on that."

"Maybe later," Harry declined. "Let's watch the video so I can call Payne and-"

"Called him for you," Zayn offered. "He's not pleased that a shooter got away, but he liked your call on making the team gear up. Says we should always gear up from now on."

"I agree," Harry murmured. "Did he say anything about sending me home early?"

"You're technically supposed to take off your gear and leave, but I think we can keep it a secret that you stayed to watch whatever video Tomlinson left for you," Zayn chuckled, and Harry bit the inside of his cheek. Louis wouldn't be on that camera, because Louis was on his  _couch_.

The three lads gathered into Harry's cubicle like always, hooking up the camera to Harry's computer and starting the video. As the video loaded, he wondered if this Nick Grimshaw person really was the guy who had tried to shoot him  _the first time_ back in the storage room at the store Louis had hit. And then the video loaded, and just like Louis had promised, it  _was_ the man. He heard Niall and Zayn gasp from behind him, and Niall bellowed, "Who the hell-"

"S'the guy who nearly shot me the first time," Harry murmured, hitting play. 

The man with the dark hair, styled in a quiff that would never have anything on Zayn's hair, grinned smugly, " _Hello,_ _whoever is watching this. You probably lost your lead agent today, hmm? Yes, that was my plan. Trick you into thinking I was Tomlinson, and then to kill Styles. So now, I'll reveal to you my name so that other bastard I stole the gun from doesn't get the credit I deserve. My name is Nick Grimshaw, and I bet I can successfully say that I killed Agent Harry Styles."_

The video ended, and Zayn shot his hand forward to angrily yank the camera away from the computer, "No, he can't fucking successfully say that and he's not going to be able to. He's not going to kill  _any_ of our team members. He's going to spend the rest of his life in prison, is what he's going to do. So... Tomlinson wasn't there?"

"I don't think Tomlinson is our biggest problem anymore," Harry sighed.

"Maybe someone should escort you home... and they should put someone else on this case, he's after  _you_ specifically. Tomlinson was never like that, he wasn't out to kill you. He was just mocking you because you couldn't catch him. But this is a crime towards you, you need someone to-" Zayn rambled.

"Malik," Harry interrupted. "I'm not giving this case in unless Payne makes me. And  _don't_ try to convince him to do so, got it?"

Zayn examined him for a moment, but then he nodded, "Fine. But you know he's got to see this tape."

"Yeah, yeah, he sees every tape," Harry pushed his slightly sweaty curls from his forehead. "I'm going home now, alright? See you all tomorrow."

"Do you want one of us to bring you dinner later?" Niall offered. "Figure you won't want to move much, with your chest and all."

"No!" Harry croaked instantly before stopping himself and continuing. "No, I mean, I'll probably be sleeping for the rest of the day... I'll just make myself some toast or something. It's fine. Go home, relax. Honest." 

Niall and Zayn shrugged, but they let it slide. Harry wondered nervously how he could keep them away from his house until after Sunday. He left the bureau, climbed into his car after thoroughly checking the seats and back, and turned on the heater so he didn't have to shiver and hurt his chest. The entire drive back to his house, he idly worried that Nick Grimshaw was following him. Of course, he had his gun on him, he always had his holster on him, but he still felt strangely paranoid. Yet, as he walked up the pathway to his house he smirked to himself at the thought that Louis would be surprised at his early return home. Perhaps even dreaded the idea of Harry coming home.

He slipped into his house, removing his holster and jacket and hanging them on their assigned pegs before kicking off his shoes, "Criminal."

There was no response, and he couldn't see Louis' head over the back of the couch. He approached it in confusion, thinking maybe Louis had curled up awkwardly and fallen asleep, but as he looked over the back of the sofa to find only empty cushions, his eyes widened in horror, "What in the hell- son of a  _bitch_ how could he have-?!"

Harry bolted down the hall, pushing open the door of the bathroom, office, and closet, only to find them empty. He raced into his room, scanning in desperately to find that empty as well. But then, from his bed, he spotted a lump of the blankets that seemed almost... human shaped. He strode towards it, yanking the comforter towards the end of the bed to find a disheveled Louis fast asleep beneath it, cuddling his pillow and a metal bar that was handcuffed to his wrist. As a strangled sound escaped his throat, Louis' eyes fluttered open and he stretched. The thief glanced up at Harry, flashing him a sleepy smile, "Evening, Agent. Didn't mean to sleep so long."

"It's afternoon," Harry snarled. "It's only 1pm, what the  _hell_ are you doing in here?"

"Sleeping," Louis sighed. "Or I was."

"Get up."

"Five more minutes?" Louis pouted. Harry considered seizing Louis by his arms and dragging him from the bed, but he figured his chest wouldn't appreciate it. Much to his surprise, however, Louis sat up and scooted from the bed anyway. "Okay, okay... I'm assuming I have to go back to the couch, now? I left the screws on the table, so I can fix this if you'd like."

Harry spluttered, "You- how'd you even get that out of the couch?"

"Well, I found your note, and don't worry, the couch isn't broken," Louis offered, running his free hand through his messy hair. "I just used a coin to unscrew the bar, and then I pulled it loose. I was tired and decided to take a nap in your bed."

"And you were looking for the jewellery to make a run for it," Harry added.

"Yes, I won't lie," Louis nodded. "But they're not actually there, and I won't leave without them, so... I decided I'd make use of your shower and your bed. It's so very soft, by the way. Heavenly." 

"You're insane."

"So I've heard," Louis shrugged. "Shall I fix your couch now? I'll need to be unhandcuffed to do so however. Then you can handcuff me back."

"Uh..."

Harry followed the thief in confusion as we walked down the hall to the living room, but he retrieved the key from his holster and uncuffed Louis. The thief almost instantly had the bar screwed back into place, making small talk as he went about it, "So did you catch Nick?"

"No..."

"Well you're still in one piece, I see, did he not follow through with his plan?" Louis asked. "I swear to you I wasn't lying."

"No, he did follow through," Harry nodded. "But he got away, so he's still out to kill me."

Louis' hands faltered in their motions, and the coin fell from his grip just as he'd screwed the final screw into place, "What?"

"He got away. He's still out there somewhere, and he knows I'm alive because I tried to chase him?" Harry repeated confusedly.

Much to his surprise, Louis was off his kneeled position on the floor in an instant, bolting for the door. Harry gasped, racing after the thief. He idly made out Louis' hand grabbing for the lock on the door before he seized the lad and slammed him up against the wall, pinning the smaller man to it with his own body and eliciting a pained, "Ow..."

"What the fuck are you doing?" Harry bellowed. "I should drag you down to the bureau right now, I can't believe I was going to give you until Sunday you lying little-"

"I was trying to lock the door," Louis croaked.

"Wait-" Harry shook his head in confusion.

"Just in case the Gremlin shows up here, I was locking the door," Louis nodded. "Even if he does show up here, he'll have to go through me. Well, I'll be handcuffed to the couch, but I can drag it along to beat the shit out of him. Um... now could you maybe get your knee out of my crotch?"

Harry realised just how close he was to the thief, nearly nose to nose as he glared down at the small man. His chest screamed in pain as he released him, and his face twisted as he croaked, "Sorry."

Louis frowned, however, "Hey... I didn't touch you, how are you hurt?"

"Because I was fucking shot earlier," Harry snapped. "And you could've told me you were locking the door instead of bolting. You're a criminal, damn it, you're not supposed to be helpful. You're supposed to be a lying, heartless bastard."

"You were  _shot?_ " Louis' voice shot up several octaves. "You fucking idiot, go to the hospital, why are you-"

"In the vest, Louis, I'm not mortally wounded," Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course... I suppose I should thank you, because I wouldn't have worn that vest if you hadn't told me to."

 Louis was biting his lip as he examined the agent, "Where were you shot?"

Harry awkwardly unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt to reveal part of his chest, "Here..."

"Damn..." Louis breathed in horror, his eyes examining Harry. The agent instantly buttoned his shirt back up, feeling a mix of unease and some strange unidentifiable emotion stirring inside him. "You should be in bed, not tackling me against walls. How about you go lie down, I'll make you some lunch, and then I'll handcuff myself back to the couch."

"You're a liar," Harry said skeptically. "What thief handcuffs himself to the couch?"

"I already told you that I'm not leaving without the jewellery," Louis pointed out. "And I don't know where you've got them hidden, so-"

Harry grabbed the man's wrist, an idea suddenly springing upon him, "I've got a better plan."

He dragged Louis over to the couch, scooping up the handcuffs off the table and dropping to his knees in front of the thief. Louis gasped, "Whoa, not that I'm complaining but don't you think this is a little unprofessional agent?"

"You're an idiot," Harry grumbled, clamping the handcuffs around Louis' ankles. "There. Now you won't be getting anywhere fast, but you'll be able to move freely around the house as well."

He stood back to his feet, and Louis hesitantly took a few steps forward, "I can barely move at all..."

"But you can move enough," Harry grinned. "You just can't run. Even if you somehow make it into town, you're widely known everywhere. You'll be captured in an instant."

Louis shrugged, "I'm not planning on going anywhere. I appreciate not being handcuffed to your couch again though. Thank you, this was thoughtful."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Feel free to eat anything you can find in the kitchen... not  _everything_... but I'm going to nap. If you escape... I'm going to kick your ass."

"Duly noted," Louis saluted the agent. "Do you want me to make you something?"

"I want you to let me sleep," Harry grumbled, and with that, he turned and walked off to the bathroom. He'd shower first, testing Louis. If the thief tried to escape while he was showering, he definitely couldn't trust him enough to leave him alone to nap. Yet, much to his surprise once he had showered and dressed, Louis was at his kitchen table thumbing through a book.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles," he mumbled to Harry as the agent walked into the kitchen.

"Yes?" Harry shot back.

"I just like Sherlock Holmes," Louis chuckled. "Detective stuff... did you ever want to be a detective?"

"I am in a way," Harry pointed out. "You're a right piece of work, I had to figure you out."

Louis laughed, and Harry grinned along as the older man continued, "I guess you have a point. I was always a fan of detective stuff myself."

"Really?" Harry snickered. "Figured you'd be more into thieves."

"Robin Hood, maybe," Louis grinned, and Harry's eyebrows raised.

"Why him?"

"He was an excellent thief, he stole for good reasons," Louis replied. But then he abruptly changed the subject. "I made you some tea and some cheese on toast. I know you said you didn't want anything, but it's past lunch time, so..."

"Thanks..." Harry said confusedly, but he took his food and drink and slowly backed from the kitchen as Louis went back to reading the book.

He almost was afraid to sleep, but he passed out the moment his stomach was full and he was tucked under his comforter. He awoke about five hours later, scrambling from his bed and clutching his sore chest to hurry down the hall. Louis was seated on the couch, flipping through television channels. He looked up at Harry as Harry gaped at him from the living room entry, "Did you sleep alright?"

"You didn't try to escape..."

"Um... nice observation," Louis said slowly. "Does your chest feel better?"

"Not in the slightest," Harry huffed.

"Take some painkillers and go back to bed," Louis suggested, standing with slight difficulty and hobbling with his handcuffs around his ankles towards Harry and past him into the kitchen. "Or, I was just about to make some sandwiches, so you could join me for that."

"You do know I'm still taking you to prison after Sunday, right?" Harry asked skeptically. "Gaining my trust won't make me set you free."

"I know," Louis replied. "But I might as well be a kind guest during my stay. I'm grateful that you're giving me time to take care of what I need to take care of."

Harry sat in silence at the kitchen table while Louis made the sandwiches and tea, and they ate at the kitchen table as they awkwardly stared at their plates. The agent finished his sandwich fast, standing and carrying his plate to wash at the sink before grabbing some paracetamol from the medicine cabinet, "I'm, um... gonna go to bed, I think. Still tired." 

"You're hurt," Louis shrugged. "Being hurt makes you tired." 

"Right. Um... if you try to escape-" 

"You'll kick my ass," Louis supplied. "Got it." 

"Yeah," Harry murmured, but then he scurried down the hall to his room. However, he remembered that Louis had a mere sheet to sleep with on the couch. The house had seemed a bit chilly that evening, and Harry didn't need the thief catching a cold and keeping him up with his coughing the next few days. So he snagged a pillow from his bed and a thicker blanket from the closet, carrying them past the kitchen where Louis was washing his dishes and depositing them on the couch.

He scurried back to his room before the thief could catch his act of kindness, stripping to boxers and crawling beneath the covers. The agent side of him was still uneasy at the sounds of Louis moving around, but he eventually saw the dim light from the hall flick out, and he never heard the living room door open. He could, over, hear the squeak of someone shifting on the couch, and that reassured him into closing his eyes.

Before he knew it, his alarm was sounding, and he painfully dragged himself out of bed to pull some clothes on despite his aching torso. Once he was dressed, he sped walk down the hall to peek into the living room. In the dim light, he could vaguely make out Louis wrapped up in the blanket he'd been given, nestled down into the pillow. The man looked so  _innocent_ , his hair in a disarray. And then Harry's heart gave an unstoppable flutter of affection. A surprised gasp escaped his lips, and he mentally smacked himself. He couldn't feel affection for Louis, Louis was a criminal and Harry was a hard shelled agent. Harry just so happened to appreciate that Louis was sort of sweet, caring in a way.

He scrambled away from the sleeping thief, hurrying into the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face, wondering just what kind of thief Louis Tomlinson was and wondering just what was happening to his  _own_ mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

A rustling from the kitchen pulled Louis from a surprisingly cozy sleep. He let out a grunt, attempting to stretch only to realise he couldn't move his ankles more than a foot apart. In the light illuminating from the kitchen entrance, a curly headed figured hobbled into the doorway, glancing in. 

"Oh. You're awake." 

"Mhmm," Louis hummed, but he closed his eyes again and nuzzled down against his pillow. 

Harry flipped on the light in the kitchen, "Well I'm awake, as well. And if I'm up for good, you are too." 

Louis scowled, but he used his arms to push himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs back to the floor, "Okay, Agent." 

Harry hobbled further into the room, hunched over slightly and clutching his chest, "Toast for breakfast sound okay again? Also, I'd like to lay some ground rules before I leave." 

The thief frowned as he watched Harry limp to sit down with difficulty on the coffee table, "Are you okay there?" 

"My chest is a bit sore, but-" Harry waved a hand. "Anyway-" 

"Okay, then can I say something before you lay your ground rules?" Louis requested. 

"No. So rule number one-" 

"I think you should stay home today," Louis interrupted anyway, and Harry blanched at him in surprise. 

"Why? My team needs all the help they can get, we've got lots of papers to file, we still have to try and find Grimshaw-" 

"Which is why you should stay," Louis insisted. "That sounds stressful. Your team can handle it, you've got a good team. Also, what if you have another bust, or a... what if you have to go to an active scene?" 

Harry scanned Louis' face suspiciously, crossing his arms, "Why do you want me here so much? Quite frankly, if I do stay it's not going to be because you told me to. I'm not going to let some criminal come into my own home and tell me what to do." 

Louis held up his hands, "By all means, go out there and hurt yourself further then. I'll stay here and eat your food, maybe find the jewellery, and then I'll try and get these handcuffs off my ankles so I can leave. If you're out of the picture because of your own stupidity then-" 

"So you want me out of the picture, then?" Harry instantly stood up in a threatening manner, but the threat lessened as he slouched back down in pain. "Damn it... I can't pull my chest muscles too tightly." 

The thief rolled his eyes, "Go back to bed and call in. I'll make breakfast and bring it to you, if you'd like." 

"No," Harry snapped. "I'm going in." 

"Okay," Louis shrugged. 

"Okay?" Harry shook his head in bewilderment. 

"Okay, I don't care." 

The agent growled and stormed, ineffectively due to his injured chest, into the kitchen, and Louis could hear him on the phone a few moments later calling into work. He smirked at his own cleverness. In all honesty he  _had_ cared that Harry was going to work, because it was an idiotic thing to do if he was only going to be in pain the entire time, but by pretending like he didn't care what Harry did he'd used reverse psychology and forced Harry into staying home.

 He pushed himself up from the couch, wobbling unsteadily on his handcuffed legs, and then made his way into the kitchen. Harry hung up the phone as Louis walked past to open the fridge, following him with a look of distrust, "What are you doing?" 

"Do you want some eggs on toast?" he asked. "I'm not promising I won't burn anything, but I can try." 

Harry hesitantly backed away to give Louis some space, sitting down at the table instead and picking up the Sherlock Holmes book Louis had left lying flat on the table, "Fine... but if you start a fire I'm going to beat you senseless, injured chest and all. And don't leave my books laying like this. It ruins the bindings." 

"Oops," Louis replied sincerely. "Sorry, mate." 

"We aren't mates," Harry scowled. 

"Pal." 

"No." 

Louis laughed, "I'll just make your eggs on toast then." 

Harry watched silently, judging only slightly, as Louis hobbled around with the handcuffs on his ankles to make breakfast. He wasn't surprised when Louis pulled out eggs and butter, but he was surprised when the thief got out four pieces of bread and ripped a fairly large hole through the center of each one, "Um... what on earth are you doing?" 

"Just stay with me here, this is how I make eggs on toast. Or... in toast, rather." 

He examined Harry's stove, huffing a bit as he tried to figure out how to work the top. The agent rolled his eyes, "It's a gas stove, so just twist the dial on the far right. Only set it on two or else you  _will_ burn it." 

Louis obliged the agent, placing a pan on the stove top and dropping a small spoonful of butter into it. Harry stood to walk hunched over to get glasses, hissing out as he had to open the fridge to get out the apple juice. Louis frowned at him, retreating to the fridge and putting up the ingredients he had gotten out aside from what he had sitting on the counter still, "I could have done that. You should sit." 

"Don't tell me what to do," Harry warned, pouring two cups of apple juice and moving them to the table before he sat down grumpily and picked back up the book, flipping through the pages idly. Louis put the apple juice up for him, however.

He eventually heard Louis dropping the bread into the pan to toast it, heard him cracking the eggs and heard them sizzling as well. But then the older man yelped, and Harry's head snapped up in surprise. Louis had his hand held out awkwardly, but was still focused on the food in the pan. Louis scanned the counter top before asking Harry, "Spatula?" 

"You can find a spatula in the drawer to your right, and plates are in the cabinet-" 

"Above and to the right," Louis nodded. "Good thing I can still use my right hand, lots of things on the right." 

"What happened to the left?" Harry arched a brow. 

"Remember how I said I probably couldn't cook this without burning anything? That declaration didn't just pertain to food," Louis murmured. 

"You idiot," Harry sighed, but he stood and hobbled over to the freezer, pulling it open with a grunt of pain and pulling out a bag of frozen peas. He placed it next to Louis' glass, deciding he'd just let Louis find it when he sat down. Just as Harry was sitting down, Louis was sliding a plate in front of him. There were two slices of toast, an egg cooked perfectly in the center of each. "Well... this... is different." 

"Do you want salt or pepper or anything?" Louis asked, using his good hand with difficulty to start his own food. 

"I've got it," Harry chuckled. "Don't hurt yourself further." 

"You see, but I should be saying that to you," Louis replied. "I've got a burn, and I'm just a big baby when it comes to pain-" 

"Yes, I remember you telling me in a video when you were complaining about bruising your elbow," Harry snickered, moving to get pepper from the cabinet. 

"Oh yeah," Louis laughed. "Anywho, but I'm just burnt whereas you fucking got shot... so... you're kind of the winner here. Or the loser. Depends on how you look at it." 

"Well I'm not dead, so..." Harry shrugged. "I think it's a win on my behalf." 

Louis nodded slowly, his face showing an unidentifiable expression before he turned back to his eggs and toast in the pan. For some odd reason, Harry didn't touch his food until after Louis had sat down, giving a strange look towards the frozen peas before gingerly resting his hand on them, and then cut himself off a bite of toast with his fork, "Making sure it's not poisoned then?" 

"No," Harry shook his head. "Table manners. You don't eat until the chef has taken a bite. Excluding restaurants of course." 

"That's different," the thief mused. "I've never heard that saying before." 

"My mother is different," Harry sighed fondly, but Louis could tell by the look in the man's eyes that he was rather fond of his mother. 

"I haven't seen my family for a while," Louis sighed, because he really did miss his mum and four sisters. 

"Well," Harry tried to shrug heartlessly. "You are a criminal, so..." 

Louis nodded along, however, not even trying to defend himself, "I know. I've messed up, and I can't risk getting my family in trouble by hiding out with them, but I don't... regret what I do? If that makes sense." 

"You like to steal," Harry supplied with a scowl. 

"No, I like the outcome of it, not the stealing itself," Louis disagreed, breaking the yolk of his egg and dipping a piece of his toast into it. The man seemed to be having difficulty eating with only one hand, but he was managing. 

"So you like the money that comes from stealing jewellery then." 

"No," Louis frowned then, meeting Harry's eyes sincerely. "I don't keep the money, I've said that. Why would I still be here in England if I kept the money?" 

"Because someone on England's most wanted probably couldn't leave the country?" Harry pointed out. 

Louis chuckled a bit, but shrugged, "I suppose." 

The thief went back to eating, and Harry took another bite before the silence grew awkward, "This is actually decent. Good job, Tomlinson." 

Louis smiled a bit at that, "Thank you." 

But then he went back to eating, and Harry pursed his lips, "Okay... so your family then. What's your family like?" 

The feathery haired man looked up, appearing hesitant, "They haven't done anything wrong, so there's no need for them to be questioned even further."

Harry held up his hands before he lowered them, wincing and lightly placing a hand on his chest, "I'm not asking as an agent, I'm just curious." 

Louis blinked at him, but then he finally began, "Um... my mum. Her name is Johannah. I'm definitely a momma's boy... or was?" 

"I'm a mummy's boy as well," Harry supplied. "And you mentioned sisters?" 

"Four, yes," Louis nodded. "Lottie, Felicity, and Daisy and Phoebe. In order of age. Daisy and Phoebe are twins, so... I love them all, cutest and orneriest things ever. I haven't seen them for a bit though... I miss them."

Harry felt a surprise pang of sympathy for the distressed look on the other man's face, and he had to inwardly curse at himself. He couldn't feel sympathy for a criminal, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them, "I'm sorry... they probably miss you as well, I bet you're a great brother." 

Louis blushed, much to Harry's heart's dismay, and the thief grinned as he finished his light bite of toast and egg, "So... what about your family?" 

The agent nodded, despite the warning bells ringing in his head to stop socialising so much with the thief, "There's my mum, Anne. She's like... the person that I'm closest to out of everyone I know. And then there's my older sister named Gemma. She's both the best and the worst sister ever. But I love her, I suppose." 

"How is she the best and the worse?" Louis laughed, standing and scrunching his nose as he removed his burnt hand from the ice pack. He pointed to Harry's empty plate questioningly, and the agent confusedly handed it over so Louis could grab the pan from the stove before he hobbled to the sink to wash the dishes, glancing back at Harry as he waited for an explanation. 

"Oh, um..." Harry shook his head. "She's the worst because even though I'm twenty-two she still treats me like a baby brother. But at the same time, she's one of my best friends. So that's how she's the best." 

"That's sweet," Louis chuckled over his shoulder, but then hissed in pain. "Burns are probably one of the worst things ever. They never stop stinging. Hopefully when I die I like... get shot or something, or-" 

"Die old and in your sleep?" Harry suggested. "Prison shouldn't be  _that_ rough. Just don't drop your soap in the shower." 

"I won't have to worry about dropping my soap, if they find out my sexuality they probably will think I'm open for it," Louis sighed, flipping off the water and scrubbing at the dishes with a soapy sponge. "I'm gay, by the way." 

Harry stared at Louis, debating on whether or not he should be professional and simply tell him he didn't care, or if he should offer some form of comfort. But since he hadn't been very professional at all once throughout the morning, he murmured, "Well I'll see what I can have arranged. You're going to like who you like just like I can like who I like. I'm gay, too. Only my closest teammates know that though, so don't go spreading it around." 

"It's not my place to share, don't worry. So... who are your closest teammates?" Louis asked, moving on to try the dishes. 

"Niall and Zayn," Harry said immediately. "The blonde and dark-haired two, they're usually next to me on the scene." 

Louis nodded knowingly as he moved to put up the dishes, pressing the cold porcelain of the plates against his burn, "I've seen them, yes."

Harry was silent as the thief finished up with the dishes, sitting back down at the table before he frowned at the glasses of apple juice. The curly haired man shook his head, "I can wash those later, or they can just sit in the sink for a bit. Although, I could go for a nap, so feel free to watch the telly or read or... sleep yourself, I don't care. Just don't leave the flat and don't break anything." 

"Gotcha," Louis nodded, picking up his cup and his bag of frozen peas before waddling awkwardly back into the living room.

Harry sat and let him leave before he painfully stood, hunching over and draining the rest of his juice before refilling his glass with water and walking slowly down the hall, peeking into the living room to find that Louis was covered with a blanket again and reading the Sherlock Holmes book he had to have snagged off the table without Harry realising it. The man seriously was a good thief. 

He crawled onto his bed, his chest aching uncomfortably by laying on his back since it stretched the muscles tight. He curled up on his side instead, tucking his long legs up close. He couldn't even be bothered to pull the covers up once his head was on the pillow, knowing that he'd have to push himself up to do so and he was too tired to deal with the throbbing protests he knew his chest would put up. It wasn't even the worst injury he'd received, but it still hurt like a bitch. His mind flitted to Louis and his claims as to how he was a baby when it came to pain, and he wondered if maybe he himself was a baby when it came to pain as well. But then he remembered that his arm had been grazed before, leaving quite the scar close to his shoulder, and he'd laughed about it hysterically while Zayn had driven him to the emergency room. Then again, that could have been the mild shock they said he'd been in.

The agent eventually dozed off, but the thief in his living room couldn't bring himself to sleep. Instead, he picked up the glass he'd had from the night before along with his empty apple juice glass and washed them in the kitchen before he decided to go all out and clean the entire kitchen. He wiped down the counter, the kitchen table, and swept and mopped the floor. He  _wanted_ Harry to trust him. Not just for the escaping option, but because he thought that just maybe they could be friends, despite Harry telling Louis that he was simply a criminal to him. He needed a shower as well, but he couldn't exactly get his trousers off if there were handcuffs on his ankles. 

So instead, he decided he'd peek into the agent's room to see if he was asleep. Louis was slightly surprised to find Harry snoring lightly into his pillow, curled up in the center of the bed with the blankets pooled everywhere but on him. He had goosebumps on his muscled arms, however, and the sympathetic side of Louis forced the thief forward to gently move the blankets over the agent. Harry made a snuffling sound that Louis found slightly adorable and nuzzled into the comforter. When he was sleeping, his face wasn't covered with the usual hard expression. It was soft and almost babyish, and Louis wanted to pet his cheek. So he did. 

Harry stiffened under his hand, his hand flying up to seize Louis' wrist, "What the hell are you doing?" 

Louis sucked in a sharp breath before managing to calm himself, "You're cute." 

"How about you don't touch me," Harry suggested, thrusting Louis' hand away from his cheek. "Or I'll handcuff every part of your body possible." 

"Kinky," Louis shot back. 

"Tomlinson," Harry warned, and Louis giggled as he stepped back a few steps. However, Harry's face grew confused as he pushed the comforter off of him. "Did you cover me up?" 

"You looked cold," Louis admitted. 

"Well," Harry mumbled. "I'm up now, so why are you in here touching my face? For all I know you could have been trying to kill me, which is probably why you had me stay home. You put some sort of sleeping concoction in my eggs and toast and you were going to kill me while I was defenseless." 

"I only wish I was that clever," Louis laughed. "I think you've been reading too many detective stories." 

Harry attempted to sit up, only managing to get halfway into a sitting position before he grunted and curled back up on his pillow, "Maybe napping was a bad idea. I'm sorer than I was before."

"I'll help you up, if you want," Louis offered. 

Harry shook his head stubbornly, finally just pushing himself up as quickly as he could, his face scrunching up as his breath caught in his throat, agony coursing through his chest and shoulders. He felt a concerned hand touch his shoulder and tried to shrug it off, which of course was a bad idea, "I'm fine." 

"Did you see a doctor about it?" Louis asked nervously. 

"It's a bruise," Harry snapped. 

"But what if you cracked some ribs or something?" Louis pointed out. 

"I didn't," the agent stood, ignoring the throbbing feeling. "I just need some pain medication." 

He wandered towards the kitchen, and Louis hobbled after him as fast as his legs would allow. He felt almost as if he were in a three legged race... but with himself, and with only two legs obnoxiously close together, "But-" 

Before he could object, he heard Harry's surprised voice call out, "Did you clean my kitchen?" 

"Um," Louis murmured, putting a hand out to catch himself on the doorway as he nearly stumbled around his handcuffs. "Yes..." 

"Why? I mean... thank you? But-" 

"Well, I figured I'd do it since you were hurt and what not. Your peas are back in the fridge, as well," Louis replied. 

"Is your burnt hand alright?" Harry asked. 

"Not even a mark," the thief nodded slowly. "But I was wondering... could I maybe get the handcuffs off for like... twenty minutes? Just to shower. I'll only be in the bathroom. Oh. And maybe some clean clothes to wear? Something you don't wear anymore maybe? All of my clothes are probably thrown away by now. I left them at a hotel." 

Much to Louis' surprise, Harry didn't even protest or give him shit. He simply nodded, pulling some medicine down from the cabinet and taking it with a handful of water from the sink, "Yeah, sure. You can shower and I'll make lunch or something. Or we could order in so we don't mess up the kitchen you just cleaned." 

The thief gaped at Harry, "So... you're going to let me shower?" 

"You cleaned my kitchen," Harry chuckled. "I'm willing to let you do anything at this point. Besides escape! So don't even bring it up, or I'll have to have second thoughts about taking off your handcuffs for your shower. I'll get you some clothes and get the key to the handcuffs."

"Oh," Louis murmured. "Okay." 

"What do you say about Chinese? I know a place that'll deliver out here." 

Louis nodded absentmindedly, okay with anything really. Harry walked past him without a second glance, disappearing into his room and returning a few moments later with a small key in his hand and boxers, sweats, and a t-shirt in his other hand. He handed the clothes to Louis before dropping down to his knees, and Louis made a strangled sound. And certainly not because of the insinuating position the younger man was in, "I- I could have done that so that you didn't have to hurt your chest." 

"I was testing to see if you'd try to sexually harass me again," Harry replied. "Because you seem to have a sexual mindset when it comes to me, based off of your kinky comment earlier, and I was prepared to punch you in the balls." 

"Oh." 

The agent pulled the handcuffs from Louis' ankles, grimacing around a smirk as he stood back up, "Twenty minutes, criminal. Don't drop the soap." 

"Now who's sexually harassing who?" Louis snickered, but he sauntered into the bathroom, purposely swaying his arse in hopes that the agent was looking. He knew how nice of a bum he had.

And Harry was watching, in slight awe and in slight horror. Because the thief was fit, he'd known from the first video how fit Louis was. But now Louis was in house. Was in his house illegally, and Harry should be treating him like a thief and not like someone he'd known for over half of his life. He supposed he treated him between a mix of the two, sometimes treating him like a criminal and sometimes treating him like a friend. He was slowly realizing that he head a variety of emotions when it came to Louis and he didn't know whether he should scream, laugh, or, to his up-most horror, furiously wank off to the thought of the thief's slight but toned body.

Instead, he left Louis to his shower and stepped into the living room to call in for Chinese. From the bathroom, he heard Louis begin to bellow out some Shakira song, one he was fairly certain involved hips and their truthfulness. When he finished with that, he stood in the hall to make sure the thief didn't make a break for it once he was finished, and listened to the concert Louis was putting on in a surprisingly decent voice. Merely minutes after he'd ordered the food, his doorbell was ringing, and he knew it couldn't have been the food being delivered. He hurried to the door, prepared to send whoever it was on their way before Louis was finished with his shower. He unbolted the door, pulling it open and peering out. 

Much to his dismay, a blonde man and a dark-haired man stood on his porch, both of them giving him a greeting smile as Niall crowed, "How ya feeling, mate?" 

"Tired and sore," Harry said quickly, a bit too quickly. Niall and Zayn's faces became confused, and Zayn tilted his head as if he was listening hard. And then Harry realised it. Louis was still singing. 

"Do you..." Zayn asked slowly. "Have a guest?" 

"Um," Harry croaked out a lie. "Gemma is here." 

"That doesn't sound like Gem," Niall narrowed his eyes, but then he smirked. "Is there some bloke you're not telling us about?" 

"No, no bloke," Harry insisted desperately. The singing stopped much to his relief, but then the water was shutting off. 

"I want to meet him," Zayn declared. "We're on break for lunch, but we're only filing papers and I want to meet this guy, so I think papers can wait."

"Maybe some other time," Harry pleaded. "I'm um... it's my cousin. He's here to help take care of me." 

"That's a damn lie," Zayn protested. "You and I both know that you're too stubborn to let someone take care of you." 

Niall slipped ducked under Harry's arm before the injured agent could stop him, and Zayn happily sauntered past him as well. They plopped down on the couch, eyeing the handcuffs that Harry had placed on the table. Niall giggled, "Oh... so it's that kind of relationship." 

"Oh God," Harry groaned before he resorted to pleading. "I'm begging you two. You can meet him another time, but maybe today you should just go get some food and head back to the bureau. I'll see you tomorrow anyway, and-" 

He heard the bathroom door creak open, and then Louis was walking into the room in Harry's sweats and t-shirt, his face hidden by a towel as he dried his hair, "Hey Agent Styles, you can handcuff my-" 

He pulled off the towel, the words dying off as his eyes fell on the agents sitting on the couch. Harry momentarily saw the betrayal flash in his eyes before he was bolting for the door. Harry barely managed to pin him against the wall in the entryway with a bellow of, "No!" 

Zayn and Niall were on their feet in an instant, yanking their guns from their holsters and aiming them at Louis. Zayn bellowed, "What the hell?" 

Louis squirmed against Harry's grip, but as Harry grunted in pain when Louis made contact with his injury, Louis froze, "You fucking turned me in?!" 

"No, no I-" Harry shook his head, staring straight at Louis and examining his face to make sure Louis believed him. 

"Harry, that's-" Niall shook his head in disbelief. "Louis Tomlinson?" 

"I didn't turn you in, they just showed up here," Harry told Louis slowly, releasing the man slowly as Louis reluctantly nodded his head. The lad nonchalantly ducked behind Harry trustfully as Harry held his hands out to his teammates. "I... I can explain?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Zayn and Niall were staring at the lead agent expectantly while Louis cringed behind him. Harry racked his brain for some sort of explanation, because he said he could explain, when in all honesty he wasn't even sure himself why he was allowing Louis until Sunday. 

"Harry..." Zayn said lowly. "Is your life being threatened? Get that bastard out from behind you." 

"You'll have to lower your guns," Harry swallowed hard, holding his hands out to motion them to put their guns down. "You're probably freaking him out." 

"They're freaking me out, I'm fucked, it's over for me-" Louis rambled. 

"Shut up," Niall growled, but he slowly lowered his gun to the floor. However, he didn't return it to its position in his holster. 

Zayn continued to stare distrustfully at the blue eyes peering out from behind Harry, and Harry softly said, "Zayn, just trust me..." 

The dark haired agent lowered his gun so it aimed at the floor, "Alright... now come out from behind Harry, Tomlinson. I don't trust  _you_."

Louis didn't make any move to go, so Harry simply nodded his head forward and glanced back at Louis, "Go on."

"First things first," Zayn continued. "Is he here trying to kill you?"

"No," Harry glanced to the thief cringing into the coats hung on the pegs. "I don't think he's here to do that. Make my entire week hell, maybe, but he's not here to kill me."

"I don't understand what's happening," Niall shook his head, looking worriedly between Harry and Louis.

"Uh," Harry motioned to Louis. "He's here... because he said he would help. With the Nick Grimshaw thing. But he's agreed to let me take him in Sunday."

"Harry..." Zayn shook his head, glaring at Louis. "He's not even... what's stopping him from leaving?"

"Well his ankles were handcuffed," Harry mumbled, feeling intimidated under the stare of his two agents. But then the lead agent inside him came out, and he stood straighter, despite his chests protests. "I took them off to shower because, trust me on this one, he's not going anywhere. For one, he doesn't have the jewellery, that's hidden. And two, we made a deal. So."

"What's the deal?" Niall looked skeptical his hand twitching on his gun. Louis nonchalantly slipped further into the coats.

Harry scratched at his curls, sucking in a deep breath, "I give him until Sunday, let him take care of what he needs to take care of that day... and he's going to help with anything involving Nick Grimshaw. And Sunday, he's going to come with me willingly and let me turn him in."

"And how can you trust he's not going to bring Nick Grimshaw here?" Zayn gave the thief a fierce look.

"Well considering he's saved my ass twice, I think he's trustworthy," Harry crossed his arms.

"Twice?" Niall looked surprised.

"I wouldn't have worn a vest yesterday if Louis hadn't warned me that Nick would be waiting for us there," Harry explained. "So I may be extremely bruised still, but I'm not dead."

"Which is good," Louis spoke up.

"Shut up," Zayn snapped at him.

"Agent Styles, I'm under the impression that your agents hate me," Louis murmured.

"Not helping, Louis," Harry huffed.

"You're on a first name basis with him?!" Zayn croaked.

"We're in such deep shit," Niall groaned, finally putting his gun back into his holster and running his hands over his face.

"I think it's Harry and I that are in the feces," Louis protested, earning another glare Niall.

"You can come out of the fucking coats, you pansy, I put the gun away."

Louis pointed to Zayn, who scowled, "Don't you fucking point at me."

The thief tucked his hands behind his back again, and Harry gave Zayn a pleading look, "I know you probably think this is a bad idea, but you've got to just... give it a chance, yeah?"

"If Liam finds out-"

"I'll probably lose my job, yeah," Harry crossed his arm. "Actually, I'll probably be thrown in jail myself. Or at least put on trial."

"We all will," Zayn said slowly.

"No, because I won't drag you down with me," Harry protested. "You two can walk away and pretend this never happened. Go get lunch, go back to the bureau... unless you're going to turn Louis and me in." 

"You're still calling him Louis," the dark haired agent exclaimed. 

"It  _is_ his name..." Harry said in confusion. 

"He's a criminal, he's mocked you for years, I thought you  _hated_ him," the man was clearly flustered now, but he angrily put his gun in his harness. "This is such a bad idea."

"Well I'm in on it..." Niall said slowly. "Because I'd trust Harry with my life, even if I don't care too much for  _you_ Tomlinson."

"Thank you Nialler," Harry breathed in relief and Louis grinned largely at the blonde boy. "Zayn?"

"I don't know," Zayn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I..."

"Look at him," Harry motioned to the man who was finally no longer hiding in the coats. "I'm injured and you all have put your guns up. He could have just slammed me into the wall and bolted out the door, but he hasn't."

"That's a tad violent," Louis frowned. "I'm not the one who slams people into walls anyway."

His face became a pout, and he rubbed at his shoulder that had hit the wall first. Harry rolled his eyes at him, looking back to Zayn, "This is the worst you'll get out of him. Sass. But we could have expected that he was like this from the videos he left."

Zayn rubbed his hands over his face, and Harry tensed anxiously as he waited for Zayn's reply. Zayn was one of his closest friends, but there was the possibility that Zayn would turn in the thief, and therefore Harry, for Harry's wellbeing. But Zayn nodded reluctantly, "Until Sunday? And then we jail him. You do. You... I don't know, we'll think of some way for you to 'find' him." 

"So am I safe for now?" Louis asked. "Until Sunday? And hopefully on after that. Harry here has warned me not to drop the soap." 

Niall guffawed at that, "I uh... I guess that's good advice."

Zayn gave Niall a warning look, "Don't be friends with him. C'mon. Let's go get some lunch and head back to the bureau... Harry, do you need anything?"

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Harry shook his head, "Ordered Chinese."

He shooed Louis away into the kitchen, and the man protested, "But the handcuffs-"

"Fuck them," Harry sighed, and Louis scurried away as Niall and Zayn stared at him in disbelief.

The lead agent opened the door, turning to dig his wallet out of his coat pocket to pay the delivery boy. He thanked the lad, closing the front door and turning back to face his friends. Zayn shook his head, "You've lost it. Did you bruise your brain instead of your chest? Because he's going to escape. He's a criminal. It's what he does. You know how sly Tomlinson is."

"He could have escaped so many times already, and he hasn't," Harry replied automatically. "I'm not saying I completely trust him, but I'm saying that he's not going anywhere without his jewellery. I was going to come into work today, but he told me it was a bad idea. Said I shouldn't go hurt myself worse. If he wanted to escape, why would he want me here? Then he fucking made lunch for us both, he cleaned the damn kitchen, he-"

"So he's basically gaining your trust to stab you in the back," Zayn snapped.

Harry's patience with the older man finally ran out, and he pointed to the flat door with his free hand, "You're going to be late. This conversation is over."

Zayn stormed out of the flat with a gruff, "C'mon, Niall."

Niall nodded slowly, following as the man stormed completely from the flat. Niall stopped in front of Harry, however, gently patting his arm, "Don't worry about him. He trusts you, he just doesn't trust Tomlinson. Plus he worries easily."

"As long as this isn't going to affect our work at the bureau," Harry said flatly. "Then I don't care what he thinks outside of the office and off of the scene."

"Well I think Tomlinson seems mild enough," the blonde soothed. "But I like most people, so..."

"Thanks, mate."

Niall nodded once more before he hurried from the cottage, and Harry slowly shut the door behind him. He sighed heavily, heading back into the kitchen where Louis was sitting at the table, twiddling his thumbs and staring guiltily at the table. He looked up as Harry entered, however, quickly mumbling, "Sorry..."

"I didn't even know they were coming over," Harry murmured, putting the food on the table. "So, you couldn't have exactly done something about it."

"So the handcuffs-"

"You don't have to wear them if I'm home, how's that?" Harry sat at the table slowly, but then cursed. "Fuck, I forgot to grab forks-"

"I've got them," Louis replied, pushing back in his chair and standing to retrieve the silverware. "Do you want something to drink as well?"

Harry thought for a moment, and then nodded, "In the fridge, bottom shelf, there should be a pack of beer. Will you grab me one? Or two... maybe three."

"Easy, agent," Louis chuckled, but he placed the silverware on the table to grab the man two beers from the fridge. "I'm just going to drink water."

Harry nodded, pulling softly at his curls in frustration, "There's General Tso's in the bag. Should be two different servings, so..."

"Sounds good," Louis murmured, giving the beers to the agent and then grabbing himself a glass to fill with water from the sink.

The two ate in mild silence, and Harry was downing his beers at a frightening rate. Louis pursed his lips, and Harry scowled at him, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Louis looked back to his food innocently. "If you want to get hammered before it's even 5pm when you have work tomorrow, go right ahead."

Harry scoffed, "Hammered."

"That's your third beer," Louis pointed out.

"Three beers is not going to get me hammered," Harry shrugged. "I need to relax somehow."

Louis simply shrugged, finishing his food and standing to throw away his plastic container. Harry still had about half of his left over, but he was simply stirring it around in the container, "Finished?"

"Yeah. I'll probably eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. Take it with me to the bureau."

"I'll put it in the fridge for you," Louis replied.

"You're a great thief," Harry replied, and Louis shot him a confused look. Harry gave him a dopey grin, and Louis thought that yes, Harry was definitely getting tipsy off of the three beers. Not hammered, but he'd just called Louis a great thief.

"Thanks?" Louis said slowly. "You're a good agent."

He put Harry's container in the fridge, threw his away, and washed their forks in the sink before placing them in the dish drainer. Harry was watching him from the kitchen table, and Louis sat down in his chair once more. The agent leaned forward, tucking his chin into his hands as he examined Louis, "What is the most horrible crime you've committed?"

"What?" Louis asked flatly. "Harry. You need to sober the fuck up."

"No, no, I am sober," he insisted. "Answer my question. I'll walk a straight line for you, I'm sober. Just humor me here, I need some humor."

"So an agent walks into a bar-" Louis began smartly.

"I will beat your ass, sore chest and all," Harry laughed. "Tell me your worst crime, I won't judge. I just take people to the judge."

Louis rolled his eyes, but he nodded, "Fine, fine... worst crime. I don't know. You know most of what I've done. I steal jewellery, that's pretty much as bad as it's gotten."

"Why don't I believe you?" Harry frowned.

"Because you're tipsy," Louis replied.

"M'not," Harry shook his head. "So you steal jewellery. Is that all you've ever stolen?"

"I forgot to give a chocolate bar to the cashier once, when I was like eight," Louis said thoughtfully. "I cried for three hours over it and made my mum take me back to the store so I could apologise and pay for it with money from my piggy bank."

"Aww, you were innocent," Harry cackled. "And now you've probably stolen over a million dollars."

Louis squirmed, "I'm not proud of it, so don't say it like that. I do it for... reasons."

"Is that all you're going to give me?" Harry huffed.

"You'll see Sunday," Louis sighed. "Your turn now. What's the... most action packed bust you've ever done."

Harry grinned largely, leaning forward and placing his hands flat on the table as he dramatically began, "Allow me to set the scene. There was this warehouse. It was a drug bust, happened in this large warehouse. There were boxes of cocaine literally  _everywhere_. But that's not the point. The main guy running the sales, he was hiding out in there, and you know how I have a habit of separating from the team out of curiousity."

Louis was gazing at the curly haired man in amusement, quite enjoying the unguarded side of Harry. His eyes had lit up, his dimples prominent in his large grin. Louis nodded, "Yes, yes, continue. You've set the scene and caught my attention."

"Okay, so I was looking around this big room, and he came flying in out of literally nowhere," Harry explained, but then he was standing to his feet. "Get up for a minute, let me show you what he did."

"Harry," Louis sighed. "You have a bruised chest. Combat moves on me right now are probably not good for you, and they're definitely not good for me, so-"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Harry insisted. "C'mere."

Louis reluctantly stood, walking over to Harry in distrust, "What are you going to do?"

"So first," Harry explained. "This guy is probably like... nearly three hundred pounds, yeah? He's massive. And he comes up behind me and grabs me like this."

Harry spun Louis to face away from him, and then he pressed himself up behind the older man. One hand wrapped around Louis' middle to keep his arms in place, and the other arm put Louis into a gentle chokehold. But Louis was more focused on the crotch pressed to his arse, "Oh."

Harry was oblivious, however, continuing on with his story, "And so I twisted around in his grip. Twist around in my grip..."

"You're mental," Louis huffed, but he obliged Harry's wishes, careful not to bump his chest. "There."

"Then he slammed me into a stack of boxes," Harry gently backed Louis up against the counter, using his hips to pin Louis there and placing his arms on either side of the man. "He put his hands on my throat, but there's nothing to pin your head against. So this is probably fair enough. Just pretend I'm choking you."

"Are you sure you're sober?"

"Not the point," Harry interrupted. "Back to the story. So this guy has me pinned to the wall and his hands are around my throat. I kept trying to push him away, I couldn't reach my gun, so I had to think fast. And so I bit his hand."

"You bit him?" Louis asked, starting to find it hard to focus with the attractive younger man pressed so close, less than a foot between their faces.

"I bit him to make him move his hands to my shoulders," Harry nodded. "And once my neck was free, I head butted him."

As if he was proving his point, Harry ducked down and pressed his forehead to the smaller man's, and Louis caught his breath. The agent's brain was  _definitely_ being effected by alcohol. It was completely obvious, then, with the agent that would normally tell Louis to stop touching him, pressing nearly his entire body to Louis'. Intentionally.

"Painful," Louis squeaked.

"Yeah, I was seeing stars for a bit," Harry pulled his head back, but kept Louis pinned to the counter. "Didn't even faze the guy though. So I had to try and think with my pounding head. My team eventually came running in to try and assist me. That was helpful, but we were in a risky position and they couldn't run the risk of hitting me instead of the big guy, so they tried to negotiate with him."

"Did you do some sort of... intense body slam to the big guy? Flip positions with him and then throw him over your shoulder?" Louis attempted to back Harry away from him, even though he wouldn't be at all opposed to letting Harry remain as close as he was. He figured the agent would be upset with himself once he was no longer tipsy.

"Don't be ridiculous," Harry rolled his eyes. "I kicked the guy in the balls. He let go of me instantly." 

"Really?" Louis laughed. "That simple? I was expecting some sort of bad-ass kung-fu move. You've disappointed me, Agent Styles." 

"You've watched too many movies," Harry rolled his eyes. "I was sparing you the bloody stories. You said you wanted action packed. That was hands on action, not firearm action. I thought you'd enjoy it." 

"I think the step-by-step play out of the story was the best part," Louis replied smugly. "But honestly, I thought the story was a bit dull. Where are the explosions? Did you blow up the cocaine warehouse and walk away from the blazing flames? Did you dramatically slide on some Ray-Bans and run your hand through your luscious curls?" 

"That happened at the next bust," Harry laughed, once again leaning close to Louis, so close their noses bumped. 

Louis sucked in a sharp breath, and the smile faded off of Harry's face as he nearly went cross-eyed to look at the older boy. He breathed out against Louis' lips, and then twisted his head just slightly to brush his lips against the thief's. Louis' brain screamed at him to stop, but his hand rose instantly to pull Harry's pouty and chapped lips firmer against his own. The man taller man tasted of alcohol, but Louis couldn't give a damn as his brain turned to slight mush, and he vaguely wondered who the tipsy one was. Harry nibbled slightly on his lower lip, and Louis felt a tongue swipe out curiously. A groan escaped him without his control, out of place in the room that had been silent, aside from their panting.

The agent stiffened, his hands moving from where they'd twisted into Louis' slightly damp hair to Louis' shoulders, and they shoved backwards frantically. Louis' eyes flashed open to meet Harry's wide and horrified ones, and Louis croaked out a, "I-"

"I shouldn't have fucking done that," Harry shook his head in bewilderment, and with that he sank into his kitchen chair and fisted his hands into his hair as Louis, feeling disoriented, ran his fingertips across his lips that were still tingling from the feel of Harry's.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Harry sat at the table, massaging his temples as horror spread through him. He had just kissed Louis Tomlinson. Louis fucking Tomlinson, the criminal that had mocked him and stolen millions in jewellery, and he had full on snogged the man. He couldn't even blame it on the fact that he wasn't sober either, because he wasn't even that drunk. He still had enough wits about him to stop himself from fucking the man right then and there against the kitchen counter, so why couldn't he have  stopped himself from kissing the man?

Once Louis had somewhat recovered from the buzzing in his brain Harry's lips had created, he stared in confusion to the panicking agent. The younger man was tugging at his hair and mumbling something to himself. Louis wasn't sure how to respond, but he hesitantly stepped forward, stretching a hesitant hand toward him, "Um... Harry?"

The man instantly peeked up at Louis from between his hands, "You shouldn't call me that."

Louis shook his head confusedly, "Are you-"

"Probably not," Harry responded before Louis could finish. "I'm in a shit ton of trouble. I just... that just happened."

"Why are you in trouble?"

"Because now you can use that against me," Harry hissed. "I'm a federal agent, I'm supposed to be professional and I  _kissed_ a criminal that I should have taken in by now."

Louis tried to fight the wave of sadness that washed over him, because he personally had  _enjoyed_ kissing Harry. For some strange reason, he began regretting his past thievings. He wasn't necessarily ashamed of everything he had done by stealing, but he hated that it made him a criminal. Hated that it made  _Harry_ hate him. Because he  _really_ liked Harry.

"I kissed you," Louis said instantly.

"Yes, let’s not make this worse than it already is," the agent snapped, standing and pushing his chair in angrily. Louis stopped Harry before the man could walk past him, and Harry nearly pushed him away.

"No, no," Louis explained. "I... you didn't kiss me. I kissed you."

"Louis," Harry said in disbelief. "I mean... Tomlinson. You and I both know what happened."

"Yeah, but other people don't," Louis replied. "If the matter comes up... and I don't think it will, because I'm not going to tell anyone... I kissed you."

Harry was stunned by the older man, and he shook his head in attempts to clear his mind, "Why the hell would you lie? Do you know how much trouble I could get in? I could lose my job. I could face jail time  _myself_ I'm fairly certain."

"Which you don't deserve," Louis told him softly. "I want you to continue being the great agent you are after you throw me in jail... preferably along with Nick Grimshaw to settle my mind while I'm confined to a cell. Maybe your job will be simpler without me."

The younger man examined Louis for any traces of lying, but the man was staring solemnly at Harry. He didn't look nervous, he wasn't sweaty or shaky. He simply kept Harry's gaze, and he looked  _sad_. Before Harry could respond, his phone was buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out while Louis lowered his gaze to the floor and stepped from the room, more than likely giving Harry his privacy.

"Styles," Harry sighed into the phone.

"Hey mate," Niall began slowly.

"Niall?" Harry asked, suddenly concerned at the tone of Niall's voice.

"Can you maybe... come to the bureau to gear up?"

Harry was alert immediately, "What's happening?"

"Just get here and gear up, I'll be waiting to drive us to the scene," Niall replied. "There's a man in a Tesco's, he's got a few hostages so they're bring in as many teams as they can."

"On my way," Harry replied, hanging up and shoving his phone back into his sweats pocket. He was fairly certain he had some jeans and a t-shirt at the bureau to put his gear over, so he simply sprinted from the kitchen to slip on his shoes.

"Um..." Louis started from where he was sitting on the couch.

Harry gave a groan, dashing over to Louis and grabbing the handcuffs from the table. He made to handcuff Louis' ankles, but then he shook his head, "I need your wrist."

"Okay?" Louis said slowly, offering Harry his wrist.

Much to Louis' surprise, Harry was handcuffing him back to the bar of the couch in an instant. His heart sank as the realization hit him. He'd lost Harry's trust. Harry had kissed him, he'd kissed back, and he'd lost Harry's trust.

At the look of hurt on Louis' face, Harry nearly took the handcuffs back off. He expected Louis to look angry, but not ashamed. But he had no time, so he simply shook his head, "Sorry."

Louis watched as the man pushed himself back up to his feet, grimacing at the pain he figured the man was feeling in his chest, "But where are you going? You're still hurt."

"I have to go on a call," Harry mumbled as he quickly and painfully put on his shoes and coat. "There's a man with hostages. I'll be back later."

The older man briefly panicked for the young agent, giving one last attempt, "But you've been drinking!"

"Two and a third beers, Lou- Tomlinson. I'm walking fine, I handcuffed you without any problems. And don't give me any shit about how my mind is under the influence right now, because it really isn't. My BAL is probably lower than .05 percent, so..."

And with that, Harry was striding from the house and leaving Louis sitting miserably on the couch. The criminal let his body slump back against the cushions as he glanced down at the handcuffs attached to him. He knew for a fact he could grab the coin that still rested on the table and unscrew the bar again, but Harry  _really_ wouldn't trust him, then. And he wanted Harry's trust. It wasn't about escaping anymore. Louis supposed he'd had a good run with what he did. He knew it would certainly have a negative effect on the good aspect of what his stealing did, but if he escaped then Harry could lose his job. Harry would hate him even  _more_. And the idea of Harry hating him terrified him more than the idea of going to jail.

He stared sadly at his hands, twiddling his thumbs as the quiet sound of the house was almost mocking. Part of him wanted to curl up and nap until Harry got back, but the other half was too worried for the younger man. He was driving after drinking, even if it wasn't much, his chest was still hurt, and he was going to some scene to a man with hostages. So instead of going to sleep like he wanted, he stretched his arm to the end of the coffee table to grab the remote and turn on the television, flicking through the channels to find a news channel that hopefully covered the story.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"So um..." Niall began slowly as they were driving fast towards the Tesco’s where the hostages were. "You left Tomlinson at your house?"

"Yes."

Niall made a face at the man's short answer, glancing to him, "He is at your house, right?"

" _Yes_ , Niall he's handcuffed to my couch again," Harry grumbled.

"Oh," the blonde agent murmured. "Because of Zayn? Did you do it because of what Zayn said?"

"Somewhat," Harry lied.

"I don't think he's actually mad," Niall said softly. "Just worried. About you."

"Well he's an idiot for worrying about me," Harry rolled his eyes.

"You're one of the best lead agents we've had... granted I've only had two, counting you. But compared to the other lead agents for the other teams. You're good," the Irish man rambled. "And you're younger than us? Well, not much younger than me. But we still get worried. Sometimes."

"Are you trying to nonchalantly be sentimental?" Harry cracked a grin.

"As sentimental as you'll let me," Niall huffed in relief. "I can get as sentimental as you want, I-"

"I know how sentimental you can get," the lead agent chuckled. "Save it, mate. I know you care, alright? Don't worry about that. I care about you to. You're a good team member." Niall was silent, and he almost seemed to be disappointed. So Harry nonchalantly added on to his explanation. "And an even better friend."

The blond man brightened up a ridiculous amount, he almost seemed to glow at being called Harry's friend. It reminded Harry slightly of a puppy receiving praise, and he had to try not to laugh. But he enjoyed being in Niall's presence, despite the circumstance. Niall just always had a happy-go-lucky air to him, and Harry rather liked it.

They pulled up to the scene at Tesco's, not at all surprised at the scene before them. The building was surrounded, the car park blocked off. A news helicopter was hovering circles around the area, and Harry halfway wished they'd go the fuck away. Niall met him in front of the vehicle as they rushed toward the other agents that had positioned themselves at the building front, awkwardly telling him, "Take it easy, maybe, yeah? If we go in there. It's probably not that Grimshaw guy, but if it is, just be careful. You're still hurt, aren't you?"

Harry glanced at Niall as they stepped up behind the others, "Yeah. But I'm fine. I'll be alright, don't worry too much about me. You need to focus on getting the people inside out, right Horan?"

He had to push up his helmet to see Niall's face, but the agent nodded, so he let it slide. He couldn't spot Zayn in the swarm of men with helmets, he just knew who his team members were by the numbers on their gear. Harry left Niall with one of their team members, making his way through the group of agents to find another lead agent. He gently tapped one on the shoulder to get their attention, quickly finding that it was the team who occupied the floor below them, Team 3-94. The man went by the name of Oliver Murs, and the man lifted off his helmet to nod to Harry, "Agent Styles."

"Agent Murs," Harry replied back. "I was taking the day off when I got the call, can you inform me of what's happening here?"

"There's a teen inside," Agent Murs explained. "He's got some hostages... only two of them have been identified, but it's believed that he has four. One's a kid, and somehow she got separated from her mother. Her mother is out and standing towards the middle of the car park with a few other agents."

"Damn," Harry groaned. "I hate when kids are involved with this bullshit."

"Yeah," the agent agreed. "We're trying to get in contact with the boy inside. We don't want to push it and just force in. The kid might act rashly."

"Right," Harry murmured. "Alright. Thanks Agent."

Harry made his way back over to Niall, finding not only the blond but the raven haired agent as well. They all had their helmets off and tucked under their arms, and when Zayn glanced at Harry, he quickly did a double take, "You're fucking kidding me..."

"Payne had me call him," Niall quickly explained.

"You're  _hurt_ ," Zayn hissed. "Get out of here."

"I'm not that hurt," Harry replied curtly. "Besides, I'm fairly certain I can decide who stays and who goes."

"You're unbelievable," Zayn snapped, tugging his helmet onto his head and ending the conversation between the three.

Niall looked extremely guilty, and he stared down at his feet until Harry gave him a pat on the back. The blonde lad looked to him hesitantly, but Harry smiled reassuringly, nodding once. Niall nodded back, but then one of the lead agents called out to everyone, "We've gained contact, we're going in! Three agents from each team including the lead, orders from Payne. The rest hold back and secure the outside."

Harry nodded slowly. So he was going inside no matter what. Almost instantly Zayn and Niall were flanking him, clearly signifying that they were the agents going in. Harry pushed his helmet up just enough to speak to the other members, "Hold it up out here, alright? You'll all do great, you always do."

And with that, they forced through the locked doors and poured into the building. Guns were pulled as they sprinted for the back corner the teen held the hostages in. Almost instantly the young boy, Harry figured he was about seventeen, as pointing a handgun at them with trembling hands. He had shaggy blonde hair that was slightly matted with his nervous sweat, and he looked positively panicked. The people cowering behind him sprinted off towards the side, and two of the agents met them to usher them from the store. It left Harry, Zayn, Niall, and Agent Murs up towards the front, and the teen's gun was trembling from aiming between Harry to aiming at Agent Murs.

"Lower your gun," Agent Murs ordered in firm voice, cautiously lifting his helmet to talk to the kid.

"No," the kid croaked. "No, I'm not going to jail."

"You're not going straight there," Harry reasoned, following the other lead agent's actions. He felt his friends tense beside him. "You'll be held until you're ready for questioning. You'll be able to have a lawyer present.

"I'm not going at all!" the kid yelled, his finger tightening around where it was placed on the trigger.

"Hey, hey," Agent Murs started in a soothing voice, and the gun jerked back to aim at him. "Alright. Just lower the gun and we're going to walk you out of here, yeah?"

"No."

Harry examined the boy thoroughly, his mind flitting to Louis. Compared to the kid before him, Louis was practically an angel. But he shook his head to clear his brain, he couldn't afford to lose focus, "What's your name, mate?"

"...Tyler."

"Well, Tyler..." Harry said slowly. "The more of a fight you put up... the harder it's going to be for you during a trail. If you come willingly, then trust me, we're going to be a bit lenient."

Zayn grumbled quietly in agreement at that, and Harry resisted the urge to glare. Agent Murs slowly sheathed his gun, "I'll put mine down, you put yours down. Deal?"

Without the kid noticing, more agents had gradually crept up closer, hiding in the aisles. Tyler nodded slowly, and he began lowering his gun. Just as he began lowering his gun, a sack of flour fell from one of the shelves and onto the floor, knocked down by one of the agents close by. Tyler jumped, his gun yanking back up and firing twice. Harry felt the blow against his shielded stomach, grunting and falling back, but her heard Agent Murs gasp in pain following the immediate second shot. The gun fell from Tyler's hands before any of the other agents could fire, and Harry managed to croak, "Don't shoot, just grab him."

He pushed away Niall and Zayn's hands, dropping to his knees next to where Agent Murs was squatting. The man looked to Harry, lifting his hand to reveal wet black cloth, obviously darkened by blood, "Uh... the bullet is in there still. It wasn't grazed."

"We need an ambulance," Harry requested urgently.

"It's not an emergency," Agent Murs protested. "It missed the artery."

"Yes, but there's bleeding," Harry replied. "You should be taken by ambulance."

Zayn touched Harry's shoulder from behind, "They're calling. Are  _you_ hit?"

"In the vest again. Stomach this time," Harry mumbled. "It's numb right now, don't worry about it."

"Damn it, Harry," Zayn hissed. "You're going to the hospital, too. You don't have to go my ambulance, I'm driving you. Niall, will you take the Suburban back?"

"'Course," Niall replied instantly. "Sure you're okay, Harry?"

"Fine," Harry nodded. "And you Agent Murs?"

"Call me Olly," he replied. "You all are on a first name basis. I feel left out."

"Olly," Harry sighed, smiling at the man’s humor.

Harry helped him tourniquet his injury, sitting him down and talking with him until the ambulance came, despite Zayn's protests. Once Olly was under the watch of paramedics, Harry finally stood and walked past Zayn to find out what they'd done with Tyler. He discovered they'd taken the kid in to the bureau where he'd stay in a room until he could get in contact with a parent. He'd shot two federal agents, but he was still a minor, and it was required.

Much to Zayn's relief, he finally forced Harry into his vehicle, and the pain finally started catching up with the young agent. He was hunched in Zayn's passenger seat, gripping both his stomach and his chest as he groaned. Zayn glanced at him nervously as he drove, "You should take off that heavy gear and look at it."

"I'll just wait," Harry grimaced. "Kind of hurts to move now that I'm not busy."

"I can't believe you actually showed up," Zayn grumbled.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Because Payne asked me to and it's my job."

"You're going to get yourself killed," the raven haired boy continued. "You come to scenes, dangerous ones to be specific, while you're injured. There's a criminal in your house-"

"So it's coming back to that, is it?" Harry hissed.

Zayn's grip tightened on the wheel, "It's not just about Tomlinson. Listen, Harry, I'm just- I'm fucking concerned for your safety, alright? You're a good friend and I like having you as a friend, so I'd appreciate it if you stuck around for a bit."

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Harry sighed, refusing to let Zayn make him feel guilty. "And L- Tomlinson is handcuffed to my couch. So."

"You don't have to call him Tomlinson just because I do," Zayn mumbled.

"I figured you were right," Harry lied. "I can't... I need to treat him like a criminal rather than a friend. I can't think of him as a friend, it could... things could happen."

Zayn was silent for a moment, and for a second Harry regretted giving his explanation. It  _did_ sound like he had admitted he was afraid he was going to end up falling in love with Louis, had already  _kissed_ him, But Zayn nodded, "Good... it makes me feel slightly better now that I know that guy isn't going to kill you in your sleep."

"Well I wouldn't go  _that_ far..." Harry rolled his eyes, but then they were arriving at the emergency room, and Harry grumbled as he had to go inside to be pointlessly looked at by flirty nurses.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Back at Harry's house, Louis was nervously watching the news broadcast of the Tesco's building. The camera was too far away for him to make out the familiar curls, and for some strange reason it made him anxious. According to the man giving the live story, no one was in the building for the longest of time. An entire hour where Louis sat and fretted. He didn't even know if Harry was there yet. But then a large amount of the agents standing out front were pouring into the building, and Louis sat forward so fast he was yanked backwards harshly at the tug of his handcuffed wrist.

For fifteen minutes or so, the scene cut to commercials, much to Louis' horror. He just knew that he was going to miss something, and he was correct. Because as the news came back on and started back up the story again, the man on the news declared,  _"The hostages have returned safely to their families after a tough negotiation with a disturbed teen that ended with two wounded lead agents with possibly fatal injuries. As far as we know, they both have headed to the hospital, although their names have not been revealed at this time."_

 _  
_"It wasn't him," Louis immediately mumbled to himself. "He's alright. He's hurt already, they wouldn't have sent him into the store."

But as the story ended and simple weather and traffic reports came in, Louis flipped off the television in frustration. He wanted to pace, but he  _couldn't_. He was fucking handcuffed to the sofa. Instead, he tugged absentmindedly at the handcuff until his wrist was sore and bruised. But even then, Harry still hadn't returned. He knew the agent usually arrived home a little after 5:30pm, and by the time Louis' genuine panic set in, it was 6:13pm. He curled his knees to his chest, trying to settle his frantically racing heart.

He tugged at his hair with his free hand as his stomach churned uncomfortably. Harry had been shot. He'd been one of the agents. And the shot had possibly been fatal, the news had said so. The handsome lead agent was hurt and in the hospital, he just knew it. Agent Horan or Agent Malik was going to come to the house and tell him that Harry had been killed on the scene. Compared to that, Louis would rather go straight to jail and to have never bothered the lead agent in the first place.

At 6:45pm, he heard the front door click open, and he twisted around to the best of his ability. The room was dim with the setting sun, and all Louis could see in the bright opening of the door was a silhouette. But then he heard Agent Malik's voice grumble, "What are you looking at?"

"No!" Louis gasped. "Where is he?!"

"What?" Zayn sounded startled, and he flipped on the light to reveal Louis' panicked face.

"It's not true, it can't be true! It wasn't Harry!" Louis shook his head frantically, collapsing in disbelief on the sofa. "Oh my God it's all my fault... he wouldn't even be hurt in the first place. He probably was shot because he was already hurt because of me, right? I-"

"What is he on about?" Harry's familiar voice reached Louis' ears, and Louis scrambled back up onto his knees, twisting his wrist in a painful position so he could see the young agent.

"You're okay!" he gasped.

"Yes?" Harry said confusedly.

"He said that it's his fault you're hurt?" Zayn's eyes flashed angrily at Louis before he looked to Harry. "Is he actually the one who shot you?"

"No..." Harry frowned. "He was on my couch when Grimshaw shot my vest..."

"But the news," Louis breathed in relief. "They said two agents were fatally wounded by a gun. That wasn't you..."

"Fatally wounded," Harry groaned. "Those fuckers. No, I'm not fatally wounded. My vest was shot again and another agent was shot in the arm. But we're both fine."

"Thank God..."

Harry felt Zayn staring from him to Louis in confusion, and then he stepped back out on the porch, "Can I talk to you out here, Harry?"

Harry nodded, glancing to a relieved looking Louis. He stepped outside with Zayn, slowly shutting the door and holding a finger up to Louis to let him know he'd be back in a second. Harry placed his hand over his sore stomach, nodding his head, "Yes?"

"What is that boy going for?" Zayn murmured lowly. "He actually seemed concerned for your safety. He's good. I don't know what he's playing at, but whatever it is, he's good. I almost believed him."

"I don't think..." Harry glanced at the door. "I don't think he's lying, actually."

Zayn stared at him in disbelief, "You think he's telling the truth, then..."

"Yes, actually," Harry nodded slowly. "And it's not just because I'm heavily medicated right now. I just don't think he's lying. He's not a bad person."

"He has  _stolen_  over-"

"I know what he's done," Harry interrupted. "But I don't mean that. He says he has a good reason for stealing those things and that none of the money has gone towards him. I don't know what he means by that, and I'm a little skeptical at believing him there... but otherwise, I genuinely think he tells the truth. He's normally brutally honest."

Zayn lifted an eyebrow, "Prove it?"

"I'll give you an example," Harry sighed. "He has agreed that if he knew where I hid his jewellery, then he would have tried to escape by now."

"Yet you still let him away from the couch," Zayn mumbled in disbelief.

"I had been, yeah," Harry nodded. "Because I was home. I even let him go handcuff free after you left. And he didn't try to complain. We sat down and we ate, and then we told stories about... worst crimes and crime busting and things."

"He told you his worst crime?"

"Apparently we know his worst crimes," Harry shrugged. "He stole jewellery. I guess he accidentally left a store with an unpaid candy bar when he was younger. He cried until his mum took him back so he could apologise to the people, and then he paid for the candy bar with money from his piggy bank."

"Well I don't trust him."

"You don't have to," the lead agent sighed. "Thank you for driving me here."

"You're off until next Tuesday," Zayn pointed at Harry. "Payne even agreed. Doctor’s orders. Niall and I will bring your car over tomorrow morning."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm not dying. All they fucking did was drug me and then give me more medicine to take."

"Well I suggest you sleep before the drugs wear off," Zayn grumbled. "And call me if you have any problems with Tomlinson."

"Louis isn't going to do anything," Harry insisted. "Bye, Zayn. See you tomorrow morning when you bring my car."

Zayn left with a hesitant farewell, and Harry slipped back into the house. Louis was still in the same position as before, his eyes scanning over Harry for his injuries. Harry rolled his eyes and lifted his shirt to reveal the small heat pack taped to his stomach. He wasn't feeling much pain, just a tad hint of soreness in his abs, but the heat pack was to help his muscles relax. His chest was probably the sorest part, and it was an older injury.

Louis shook his head, "I can't... I can't see it, that thing is covering it. Are you alright?"

"Just bruising again," Harry explained. "Let me get the handcuff key and I'll let you off the couch for a bit."

"Okay..."

Louis waited anxiously on the couch while Harry disappeared down the hall, only to return with a key in his hand. He leaned carefully over Louis, gasping as his eyes fell on Louis' wrist. The metal had bruised and cut at Louis' wrist, scratching up the sides closest to the bone, "Louis, what the hell... were you trying to escape?"

"Um... no," Louis mumbled in embarrassment. "I was trying to get closer to the television. It's a nervous habit. Something I do if I get really anxious. It didn't work. I was stuck here."

"You're an idiot," Harry mumbled, but he quickly unlocked Louis' handcuffs and straightened with a grunt.

Louis scrambled to his feet, looking the agent up and down. Harry arched a brow at him, but not knowing whether or not the agent had been severely hurt or not had freaked Louis out. He didn't  _want_ Harry hurt. The whole point on coming to Harry's house in the first place was to prevent Harry from being killed.

"Did you go to the doctor?" he squeaked.

"Yeah, s'why I was gone so long," Harry said slowly. "They just gave me some drugs and then gave me more pain killers to take. Simple shit, really. And I'm off work until next  _Tuesday_."

"Good," Louis mumbled. "You don't need to go to work."

Harry's eyes widened then, "Which means... I'm going to have to push back the deal until Wednesday at the earliest. I can't exactly bring you in if I'm not supposed to be working."

"Have Zayn or Niall take me in," Louis shrugged, still staring in concern at Harry's torso.

"Stop staring at me like that," Harry said firmly, but then he cracked a small smile. "And hell no. I'm taking you in, you little shit. You've been mocking me for over a year."

"I wouldn't call it  _mocking_ per se..." Louis blushed.

"It was a joint effort," Harry shrugged. "I think we mocked each other. We developed quite the agent verses criminal relationship for the media, huh?"

"Yeah..." Louis said softly.

Harry's gaze fell on the older man's thin lips, watching as he chewed slightly on the bottom one. An urge inside him  _really_ wanted to kiss the thief again, but instead he turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen, "Are you hungry? The hospital gave me crackers, but I can't sleep with that nonsense. Feel up to making me that eggs in toast thing?"

"Sure!" Louis replied, maybe a bit too quickly. He made up for it with sass, however. "Since you're clearly too helpless to do it yourself."

"I can still kick your ass."

"You and I both remember what happened earlier when you were  _pretending_ to kick my ass. It ended so negatively," Louis shot back, but then wondered if he took it too far. The agent had froze in front of him, his body taunt.  

"I wish it wouldn't have to be negative."

"What?" Louis squeaked.

"I wish I could actually kiss you," Harry admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. His head was screaming at him to stop,  _it's the medicine talking_ , he told himself. But it wasn't the medicine talking and he knew it. He liked Louis. He  _really_ liked the attractive, smartass, but strangely soft thief. And it was making the tough agent shell he had built for himself crumble.

"No one is stopping you..." Louis mumbled.

With that, Harry spun around, ignoring the pain in his torso as he seized Louis by his shirt collar and tugged the smaller man close so he could efficiently slam their lips together. And as Louis kissed back, gently stroking his hands across Harry's bruised torso, Harry couldn't even bring himself to feel ashamed. He simply turned to press Louis to the refrigerator as he moved his hands to Louis' hair and deepened the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

The moment Louis' back was against the refrigerator and Harry's hips were pressed firmly against his, all the possible fucks Harry could give flew out the window. The beautiful bastard in front of him had mocked him for over a year, came into Harry's home, and then charmed his way into Harry's heart. And Harry was most certainly not going to just let him get away with it. But also, he just  _really, really_  wanted to kiss the smaller man.

Louis was almost afraid to make a sound, despite the satisfied sounds he wanted to make at the feeling of Harry's stubbly face against his own. He also thought that he might like to feel that stubble on a lower area, preferably his thighs. Harry's mouth was persistent against his own, not at all hesitant despite Harry's reluctance before, and Louis was loving every minute of it, gently carding his fingers through Harry's slightly greasy curls. He figured sweat and helmets hadn't helped the younger man's hair.

"You little shit," Harry grumbled against Louis' lips. "Making me want to kiss you."

"For the record," Louis panted. "I want this, too."

Harry's breath hitched, and he pulled back momentarily, leaving their noses touching, "What do you want? How much?"

Louis swallowed hard, slightly afraid to say the first thing that popped into his mind. But he went for it anyway, "Anything you're willing to give me."

Harry was suddenly grabbing Louis by the arm, dragging him towards the living room. He stopped in front of the couch, making a grab for the handcuffs as he dug in his pocket for where he put the key. For a moment, Louis was sure Harry was about to handcuff him again, but then the agent grumbled, "Damn things are stuck on the bar... got 'em."

Harry straightened up, slipping the key back into his pockets and pressing his lips insistently back to Louis'. Louis was the perfect height, however, to nuzzle his head under Harry's chin and suck a love bite against Harry's throat, and Harry even tilted his head to allow the older boy better access. Before Louis could start on a second, Harry carefully spun the thief around before he pulled the smaller man flush to his injured chest. Excitement raced through Louis, but he swallowed hard and managed to croak out, "You're hurt though, you can't give me examples of your most action packed bust."

But then the agent's mouth was at Louis' ear, nipping at the lobe slightly, "I'm fine... but you have the right to remain silent."

And if Louis wasn't already aroused from Harry's lips and hips against his own body, his blood was immediately rushing to the area between his legs, "Are you going to cuff me Agent?"

"There's still some things I have to take care of," Harry practically purred.

He gently pushed Louis forward, guiding him down the hall and into his bed room where he almost immediately had Louis up against his closet door. Louis gasped, and Harry sucked at a spot just below his jaw, curling around the smaller boy from behind. Louis daringly craned his head back to nip at Harry's jaw, and then Harry was nudging his hips up against Louis' arse to push him closer to the closet. However, Louis suddenly grew self-conscious, and he croaked, "Before things go further... are you sober and in the right state of mind?"

"I'm on pain meds," Harry mumbled into his ear, the tough Agent façade he had going on halting for a moment. "But they're not influencing the way I think. Trust me."

"Oh," Louis nodded, pushing his arse back against Harry's hips, a year's worth of sexual frustration driving him mad. He hadn't even known that he  _wanted_ to be with Harry in a sexual way, though he considered Harry attractive and had joked about it, but now that the opportunity was in reach he wasn't about to deny it. "Carry on then."

Harry nudged a knee between Louis' legs, much to Louis' confusion, and Harry whispered in his ear, "Remember the pat down I gave you when you first got here? That's how things are going to go. But you're gonna have to strip first."

"Agent Styles, are you trying to get in my-"

"Yes."

"Well," Louis gave a throaty laugh, turned on beyond belief.

Louis shimmied out of the sweats, boxers, and t-shirt he wore, tossing them into a pile by Harry's dresser only for Harry to spin him back around to face the closet, "Hands on the wall, legs shoulder length apart."

Louis considered disobeying, just to see where it would get him, but he followed Harry's directions excitedly. Harry's hands didn't pat him down roughly like before, but instead he felt Harry's warm breath at the base of his hairline, and he shivered. Lips pressed gentle kisses down Louis' neck and spine, hands roamed Louis' front torso and tweaked his nipples. It had Louis trembling, and he completely disregarded the fact that Harry was supposed to hate him, had to be a professional agent. Because Harry was certainly professional with his hands and mouth, and Louis was curious as to how good the younger man was with his dick, "Harry-"

"Shh..." Harry hummed, his hands briefly sliding across Harry's hips bones and down across his pelvis to palm at his hard cock with a dry hand. Louis momentarily bucked into it until Harry lightly bit his shoulder and soothed it over with his tongue. "Hey now..."

Harry's hands slid up Louis' arm, and Louis heard a clinking sound before cold metal was closing around his uninjured wrist. The agent brought Louis' arm down around his back before he reached for the other, and Louis momentarily felt lips press gently to the injured skin there before the cuff was placed on his bad wrist as well, looser than the first cuff.  Harry was still being hesitant of Louis' minor injury, which once again brought Louis' horny mind back to reality for a few moments, "Your chest and abdomen still alright?"

"If anything changes, you'll be the first to know," Harry said gruffly, spinning Louis around. Louis expected a stern look, but Harry was grinning slyly. "Now stop talking."

The younger man suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Louis, seizing his hips and, much to Louis' surprise, taking the head of Louis' cock between his lips, "Oh God-"

He strained at the cuffs to try and grab Harry's hair, wanting to run his fingers through the curls, or guide Harry on and off, but his hands were trapped behind his back. And it was clear who was in charge. The agent pushed himself lower onto Louis' dick, a hand leaving his hip to twist at the base he couldn't reach. Louis couldn't even buck his hips, could only watch as the curly haired man gazed up at him through thick lashes, blinking his green eyes slowly. A gurgling moan escaped Louis' lips, and all he could do was clench his eyes shut and bask in the pleasure that pouty lips and a hot mouth were giving him.

But then Harry was pulling away with a strangely attractive slurping sound, and he wiped at his mouth before struggling to his feet. It wasn't that the boy hadn't liked sucking the older man off, because he had been thoroughly enjoying. He'd simply enjoyed it  _too_ much, and he wanted to move on to greater things instead of coming on his own floor from the weight of Louis' lovely pink dick on his tongue. Louis wanted to help him up, but his cuffs prevented him from doing anything useful. The agent, in turn, placed a surprisingly soft kiss to Louis' lips, "My turn, criminal."

Louis could only watch as Harry slowly and sultrily slipped off the t-shirt and jeans that he  _hadn't_ left the house in, but Louis wondered how the younger man could look so attractive both with and without such simple items. Once Harry was naked, Louis couldn't help but gawk at the cock that Harry stroked in his hand. It was far bigger than his own, and Louis halfway wondered how it would fit inside himself. He only hoped Harry had a lot of lube.

"That's," Louis breathed. "Shit, Harry..."

"Agent Styles," Harry corrected teasingly, trying to force Louis to his knees. For an injured man, he still packed a surprising amount of strength, and Louis nearly fell face first onto Harry's bedroom floor. The curly haired man caught him before he could fall, helping him onto his knees and nodding. "Is your wrist alright?"

"Can I suck your dick?" Louis blurted.

"Those were my intentions for getting you down there," Harry murmured, guiding his cock to Louis' mouth since Louis couldn't exactly do it himself.

The younger man was surprised what Louis could do without his hands, gawking as Louis nuzzled past Harry's helping hands and licked a flat strip up the underside before tonguing teasingly at the head. Blue eyes met green eyes, and Louis winked cheekily at the agent before instantly taking Harry as far as he could. He nearly spluttered around the girth, but he forced past it and managed to take Harry into the back of his mouth. Harry lost all ideas of using his hands to help Louis out, and slid his fingers into Louis' hair at first as he gurgled, "Holy hell, Louis, how much do you suck dick?"

Louis pulled off for a moment, ignoring Harry's attempts to pull him back on, and he croaked with his already hoarse sounding throat, "Jewellery isn't the only thing that brings in the money."

Harry spluttered, his hands tugging at Louis' hair so the older man would meet his gaze, " _What_?"

"I'm  _kidding_ ," Louis wheezed out a laugh. "Jealous, much? I don't even belong to you."

In response, Harry pushed his dick back between Louis' lips, snapping his hips roughly. Much to his surprise, Louis took it, only spluttering a little. Harry had always known that the thief on his knees before him was going to lead to his death. He pulled Louis off before he could push himself over the edge, reaching down to help Louis to his feet, "Bed."  

"Your bed is so soft," Louis gurgled out happily, giggling as Harry pushed him face first down upon it. "When do the handcuffs come off?"

"They don't," Harry replied smugly. "Scoot further up. Pillow under your hips."

"I can't exactly-" Louis began.

"Thieves," Harry huffed. "So unhelpful."

Louis glanced nervously to Harry to judge how serious he was being. He may have known of the agent for over a year, may have subconsciously wanted him for that long, but he still didn't know much  _about_ him. Harry was, of course, smiling as he grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed, tucking it under where Louis was sprawled horizontally across. Louis squirmed slightly, trying to lift his hips without the use of his arms. He managed to get on his knees, and Harry positioned the pillow below him before he shoved Louis face down into the mattress, drawing out an, "Ow..."

"Alright?" Harry paused.

"Jostled my shoulder weird, I'm fine now," Louis insisted. "Carry on Agent Styles. I believe I'm a criminal that you're about to punish?"

"Something like that," Harry grinned smugly.

He turned however, retreating to his dresser and leaving Louis looking for him on the bed. He opened his top drawer, reaching for the rarely used tube of lube in the back. He had a lube for himself, and he had a lube for when he hooked up with people, and unfortunately the lube for himself had run out more times over than the one he used with others. He grabbed a condom from their place on the side of his second drawer, and then he dumped them onto the bed beside Louis.

Louis squirmed impatiently, wishing he was on his back to see what Harry was about to do. He felt warm, large hands lightly rub at his buttocks, and he jokingly pushed it up, only to have it lightly pinched. He gave a startled yelp, "Agent  _Styles!_ "

Harry laughed, leaning and pressing a kiss to the back of Louis' head, "Sorry, love."

The term startled Louis into silence, and he went completely pliant on the bed. However, Harry noticed and used the opportunity to wiggle off the bed since he was too long to fit in the remaining space between Louis legs. He carefully pushed Louis' legs further apart, spreading his cheeks as well so he could lean forward and dart his tongue across Louis' pink hole. Louis, on the other hand, clearly had not been expecting to receive such a thing. He jolted in surprise, tugging at his cuffs and wanting to reach behind him to get a fistful of Harry's curls.

Instead, he was forced into a babbling, quivering, writhing mess as Harry's tongue flicked quicker across his hole, occasionally lightly pressing inside, "Oh  _hell-_ Harry! God, Jesus,  _shit_ your tongue, I-"

Harry's stubble was scratching against the sensitive skin of Louis' thighs, and it was driving the older man absolutely mad. As soon as Harry took notice, he instantly turned his attention away from Louis' clenching hole to suck a love bite onto both of Louis' inner thighs. Louis wailed in response, and Harry croaked, "Are you enjoying this, or-"

"Dear Jesus,  _yes!_ " Louis grunted. "Do it again- y-your tongue!"

"Okay, that's good..." Harry murmured. "I've just never been with someone so vocal. I didn't know if I was doing something wrong or- basically I didn't know what to do."

"You could keep rimming me," Louis pleaded. Generally he would be ashamed with begging, but all he wanted was Harry's wet mouth between his cheeks and Harry's stubble against his thighs.

"I don't think I will," Harry hummed, placing one last kiss to Louis bum before he climbed into a kneeling position between Louis' legs.

"At least take the cuffs off!" Louis groaned.

"You're a criminal," Harry scoffed. "I can't uncuff a criminal."

"Damn it, Harry-"

"Agent Styles," Harry nearly sang in return, and Louis jolted as he heard the snick of a cap being flipped. He lifted his head to turn and see what was happening, and Harry was nearly blown away by how beautiful he looked. His fringe was matted to his forehead with sweat, his cheeks flushed and his eyes watery. He looked  _desperate_ , and Harry prided himself on making the older lad that way. "Shit... you're beautiful, Louis... I mean, I've noticed before in videos but- you just really are beautiful."

"That's nice," Louis huffed. "Please touch me somewhere."

Harry jokingly placed a hand on his hip, "There."

"I'm going to run away and never come back."

"I'll just keep you handcuffed to my bed forever," Harry sighed in return, and Louis wasn't about to deny the agent that right.

Much to Louis' relief and Harry's amusement, the young agent slicked up two fingers and slid them between Louis' spread legs, lightly circling around Louis' spit slicked hole. He carefully pushed a finger in, feeling Louis tighten even further around him. The boy was tight, and Harry couldn't even imagine what Louis would feel like around his dick. Harry's finger was long and slender inside Louis, and he tried to push back on it, ready for him to move it.

Almost immediately, Harry was three fingers into a whining and writhing Louis, listening to Louis' wrecked voice babble as he pressed his fingers downward towards where he knew Louis' pelvic bone was, purposely rubbing his against the walnut sized fleshy nub that was close by it, "How are you-  _shit_ ,  _shit, shit_ \- I've had this done before and it's never-  _Harry!_ "

Deeming the noisy lad ready, he pulled his fingers out and finally put the attention back to his own dick despite Louis' protests. He ripped open the foil package of the condom, rolling it down his length all the way to the base and pouring lube into his palm before he gave his cock a few tugs. Louis was rutting his hips against the mattress in desperation, and Harry grabbed the boy's bum with one hand to stop him, "Almost..."

Louis whined in response, "Please, just-"

"Please what?" Harry cooed, letting a bit of lube dribble down the crack of Louis' bum before he smeared it down with a finger.

"Wreck me, Agent Styles," Louis groaned.

Harry leaned and pressed a kiss once more to Louis' shoulder, finding some reason he liked putting his lips to Louis' skin more than he had when he had been with other people. Louis moaned in response, and Harry crawled higher up over Louis, ignoring his bruised torso as it began to scream in protest. He simply positioned himself at Louis' entrance, pushing slowly in until his pelvic bone was flush with Louis' tailbone, fully sheathed inside the thief, and he leaned as well as he could without crushing Louis' handcuffed hands to whisper, "You can call me Harry now, yeah? Even though you  _are_ criminal."

"I-" Louis began with a whimper, but he broke off with a startled cry of pleasure as Harry grinded his hips against the man. He started out with a slow rock of his hips, and Louis was already writhing beneath him. "I won't last-"

"Good," Harry grunted. "Me either. It's been a long time since I've done something like this."

" _More_ ," Louis wailed. "Pull out  _more!"_

"You want me to pull out?" Harry paused.

"Well I want you to push back  _in_ ," Louis spluttered, desperately trying to get his point across.

"Louis Tomlinson are you trying to tell me that you want it harder?" Harry asked lowly.

"Yes!"

Harry smirked to himself, loving how needy Louis already was. He pulled nearly the entire way out before he shoved back in, adjusting himself so that his legs were on either side of Louis' hips, spread wide so he could move faster. Louis was babbling unintelligibly, and Harry used it as the perfect opportunity to seize Louis' soft brown hair and grab his uninjured wrist, holding them both tightly as he rammed in and out of the moaning boy.

Louis was in ecstasy. He positively could not keep the whimpers and moans from escaping his mouth as Harry's hips snapped against his arse. Harry's bed was squeaking with the force of their movements. Louis tried to silence himself by biting the sheets, by digging his fingernails into his palms since his hands were useless to him. The drag of Harry's cock was delicious, and he felt  _so, so_  full that he could explode. The dry rub of the sheets on his dick weren't helping his case much, either, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he'd be coming all over the bed.

"Holy shit, Louis," Harry gave a whimper of his own, feeling his balls tighten, and his abs protest as the muscles there tightened as well. He released Louis' hair and wrist, leaning forward almost in a lazy push-up position as his thrusts grew sloppy. He craned his neck to nose at Louis' ear, whispering softly. "I really do think you're a great thief."

With that, Louis wailed out, stiffening beneath Harry as the boy's hole clenched and unclenched impossibly tight around Harry's dick. The thief's vision blacked as he spurted twice, three times against the sheets, and then he moaned and went limp as his orgasm continued to crash over him. Harry was still working inside of him, his hips snapping without rhythm until finally he was spilling into the condom, barely managing to catch himself before he collapsed on Louis' cuffed arms.

He pulled out, drawing a whimper from Louis, and carefully pulled off his condom before he tied it and tossed it in what he hoped was his wastebin. Both were panting, and he no longer wanted Louis facedown on the bed, because he really wanted to kiss him. However, he head to stand and grab the handcuffs' key from his jeans pocket. As he tried to roll off of Louis, however, using his hands to try and sit up, his chest and abs seized up, and crumpled back onto the bed with a gasp of pain, "Oh-"

"Harry?" Louis croaked hoarsely. "Are you alright?"

Harry opened his eyes to find Louis attempting to roll over, and Harry groaned, "I've got some medicine in a white bag on the counter. It says pharmacy and has a receipt on it... and just kidding. You're in handcuffs. Need to get the key."

"I'll try and get it," Louis offered nervously. "Shit... how bad does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," Harry insisted, but his facial expression did not show fine as he sat up and got to his feet. He walked naked to his pants, leaning over with a grunt of pain to dig in his pockets. He returned with a small metal key, gently unlocking the cuffs and bringing Louis' arms back in front of him to rub at them gently. "Are you alright?"

"You're all bruised," Louis mumbled. "From being shot twice. Stay here and I'll get you some medicine and some tea... I think I'm going to clean myself up in the bathroom as well."

Harry reluctantly nodded, pressing a soft kiss to Louis' lips, "I, uh... I unfortunately like doing that."

"Well I don't find it unfortunate," Louis murmured to him, kissing Harry's cheek before he stood and, much to Harry's joy, waddled off.

Harry burst into hysterical laughter at the lad, "What an ego booster! It was that good, huh?"

Louis' voice sneered back from the bathroom, "I haven't slept with someone in ages. Cut me some slack. But yeah. It was great."

The agent attempted to settle back into a laying position on the bed, only to lay in a very sweaty and sticky area. He groaned, standing up and walking stiffly into the bathroom where Louis was getting ready to climb in the shower again, "Hey, you've already showered today, criminal."

"That was before you made me come all over myself," Louis grumbled.

"Well budge over, I just laid in your come," Harry huffed, and Louis helped the injured agent into the shower.

"Don't drop the soap," Louis teased. 

"Said the man who just got his arse destroyed," Harry replied.

"You're far too cocky."

"Exactly. Why else would you be waddling?"

"Oh my God," Louis groaned in disbelief. "Agent, if I had known that you had an arrogant sex side I probably would have escaped while I could have." Harry froze then, and Louis was slightly confused. "I was... I'm kidding."

"But you  _are_ a criminal," Harry whispered. "And I'm a federal agent. We can't... I shouldn't have..."

"Don't you dare," Louis threatened immediately. "Don't you dare say you shouldn't have done that because whether you should have or not you did, and I bloody loved every second of it. So if you're going to tell me that you didn't enjoy that too then you can take me in to the bureau right now."

Harry was quiet for a moment, "I didn't say I didn't enjoy it."

"Good," Louis relaxed. "If I'm here until Sunday... or I guess Wednesday now... we might as well make the time useful, yeah? If that's not too much of a slutty thing to say."

"Well I'm not sure if we can do it again..." Harry mumbled. "I'm a federal agent, Louis, I can't..."

"You can be a federal agent again Tuesday. Things will be normal again Tuesday and you can take me in Wednesday," Louis insisted. "At least give me this last thing before I have to go to jail."

"I'm already letting you stay in my house and eat my food!" Harry bellowed, but his dimples were beginning to show, and Louis knew that he'd won. He was still going to jail, but Harry wasn't going to give him the cold shoulder again.

"Let me wash your hair," Louis insisted suddenly. "It probably hurts to lift your arms."

So Louis stood as tall as he could to reach the taller man's hair efficiently, sudsing it with shampoo and conditioner gently. Harry practically purred at the attention, pushing his head into Louis' kneading fingers. Once they'd both cleaned themselves up, they put on clean clothes and Louis swapped the bed sheets. He left Harry lounging on his bed with a cup of tea and some pain killers making their way into his system once more as he made them both eggs in toast, and the two ate it as they both sat in Harry's bed.

"What do you think Zayn and Niall would do if they found out?" Harry asked the thief softly.

"I don't know..." Louis murmured slowly. "They're not my friends. But they seem like good ones, and I think they kind of like you. So I assume they'd probably just ask you why you were doing a stupid thing like this."

"A stupid thing like what?" Harry arched a brow. "You said-"

"Sleeping with someone as ugly as me."

A hand instantly shoved at Louis' shoulder, emitting a hiss of pain from the curly haired man who had given it, "Ouch, damn it- you're not ugly. I'm upset that I didn't get to see your orgasm face."

"Tomorrow?" Louis hummed.

"We have until Tuesday," Harry replied. "And then I'm an agent again... I'm only a normal guy until Tuesday."

"Correct," Louis agreed. "Let me see your plate, I'll go wash them."

"Oh," Harry murmured. "Thank you. Turn out the light on your way?"

"Sure," Louis nodded, grabbing Harry's plate and shyly kissing his forehead before he rolled from the bed and walked stiffly from the room, flipping off the light. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight?" Harry called back in confusion. "You're coming back, though, I won't be asleep that fast."

"Oh... I was just going to lay on the couch for a bit and read, don't want to stay in here and keep you up," Louis explained.

"You're sleeping in here, though," Harry told him slowly.

"I am?" Louis spluttered.

"How else am I supposed to make sure you don't run away?" Harry asked, and Louis could make out the boy grinning in the darkness.

"Fair enough."

So Louis washed the dishes, dried them, and placed them back where they belonged before he slipped back down the hall and crawled hesitantly into the bed with Harry. The agent sighed contentedly, "Night, best thief I've ever known."

"Goodnight best and most handsome agent I've ever known," Louis replied back, and he felt Harry's hand pat his own in the darkness.

"Give me one last kiss before we sleep."

And who was Louis to deny a federal agent?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Harry had slept surprisingly well throughout the night, considering there was a criminal in his bed. Sex and pain killers generally knocked him out anyway, but it was almost comforting when his big bed wasn't so... large. He almost liked having another warm body tucked beside him under the comforter. However, when he woke up, the warm body wasn't there. He momentarily panicked, because he was letting a thief roam his house  _freely_ , but then he realised that he could hear the familiar voice of Louis' singing from his kitchen.

Before he could decide whether it was worth it to get up, he could hear Louis, who was no longer singing, making his way down the hall. The older lad peeked into the room, his hair mussed in a way that Harry found slightly endearing, and grinned as he saw that Harry was awake, "Morning, Agent."

"What are you doing out of bed?" Harry arched a brow. "How am I supposed to watch you if you aren't in my bed?"

"I just didn't know if you were okay with the whole waking up next to a criminal thing after fucking his brains out the night before," Louis shrugged. "And I can't exactly make the walk of shame to my vehicle because I don't have a vehicle and I'm on... house arrest, if you will. So I decided to make you breakfast. You've got tea and painkillers there by you. The tea shouldn't be cold yet, but I can still make you some more if you'd like."

Harry examined the thief thoroughly as he rambled, wondering what on earth possessed someone as mild as Louis to be a criminal. But instead, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and pointed at the bed, "Get in."

"Well, I'm making cheese toasties, so..."

The agent sighed, but nodded, "After then. And just so you know, generally after fucking someone's brains out I prefer to wake up and cuddle with them in the morning."

"I'll make note."

Harry moved to sit up, groaning as his chest screamed in pain. Louis automatically drifted closer, his face concerned, but Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm fine. Just go back to making breakfast. Don't burn down my kitchen... or yourself."

The older lad looked hesitant, but he left the room upon Harry's request. Harry took the pain killers Louis had placed out for him, using the tea to wash them down and finding that it was still pleasantly warm. It was nice having Louis around. He was helpful, surprisingly endearing, and it wasn't as lonely in the cottage. Plus sex with Louis had been... fantastically mind-blowing. But he couldn't grow attached to those things, because come Wednesday he was going to have to say goodbye to them.

He heard Louis yelp from the kitchen, and before he could even question Louis called out, "We're good, still. Dropped the spatula."

"You're kind of an idiot," Harry called back, and he heard Louis laugh loudly. "I thought thieves were supposed to be graceful and quiet?"

Louis didn't respond, and the kitchen grew silent aside for the sound of dishes clinking. He was almost afraid that he'd offended Louis, and his fear only heightened as the kitchen grew entirely silent. The only thing he could think to do was to go apologise for possibly offending the older man, but he had to first perform the difficult task of standing. He pushed the covers off of himself, grunting at the pain that the pain killers had yet to take care of, but there was suddenly a hand touching his bicep and a plate being slid onto his lap, "Don't get up."

Harry gasped in surprise, yanking away from Louis' touch before he fully registered who it was. And then he was laughing, clutching his chest "Holy shit! I didn't even hear you come down the hall, or into the room for that matter!"

"I thought thieves were supposed to be graceful and quiet?" Louis mocked daintily.

"Pardon me, Princess," Harry chuckled. "It slipped my mind that you, you know, just skillfully avoided me for over a year."

"Eat your breakfast before it gets cold, Agent," Louis replied fondly.

Harry frowned, however, "I'm not an agent until Tuesday. I'm just Harry right now."

"Sounds good to me," Louis replied, crawling over Harry's legs instead of walking to the other side of the bed.

"We're sharing this plate, I'm guessing," Harry chuckled.

"Indeed we are," Louis acknowledged, hesitantly scooting closer to Harry.

Harry nodded, "Well come on, then... you can touch me, you know."

"Well I would hope, considering your dick was in my ass last night."

"And hopefully will be again after breakfast?"

"We'll see," Louis rolled his eyes. "You really should rest your chest. Plus my ass is sore."

Harry turned to look at the lovely older boy sitting beside him, placing the plate of the cheese toasties down so he could crane his neck and cup Louis' cheek, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss. Louis blushed as Harry pulled back, and Harry grinned, "That works well, too, though."

Yet at that moment, a knock sounded from Harry's front door. He stiffened in a panic, and Louis grew wide eyed as he looked frantically around the room, "Should I hide?"

But then Harry remembered that Zayn and Niall were still bringing over his car, and he shook his head, "I've got it. It's probably Zayn and Niall, just stay in here and eat."

"Should you get up?" Louis asked nervously. "I don't think you should get up. I could get it? They already know about me, so..."

"No, I don't think that's a-" Harry tied to object, but then Louis was up and off the bed as he raced from the room. "Shit. Lou, wait! At least look out the window first!"

He could hear the lock on the door, heard the startled sounds that came from the other side. He only hoped that it was only Zayn and Niall instead of one of the other team members. He thought that  _surely_ Zayn wouldn't have brought along anyone other than Niall. That was risky, he'd agreed not to expose Louis so soon. And then the sound of commotion came. He heard a grunt of pain and a loud thud as Zayn demanded in a loud voice, "Where is he?!"

"The bedroom?" he heard Louis croak in a pained voice.

"Zayn! Calm down!" Harry called, pushing himself from the bed before realizing that he was only in boxers. He didn't want them getting the wrong idea, but he could hear loud footsteps rushing down the hallway.

Louis was forced roughly through the door first, his hair fisted in Zayn's grasp as Zayn's gun was pressed to the older man's temple. Niall looked concerned as he slipped behind him, nodding, "See Zayn, he's alright."

"Your fucking  _torso_..." Zayn breathed. "Look how bruised it is, that can't just be from-"

"It is," Harry soothed, holding his hands out and stumbling forward to hesitantly pull Louis away from Zayn. He  _really_ didn't like the threatening cold metal pressed to the feathery haired boy's head. "It's left over bruising from Nick and then new bruising from that boy yesterday."

"See, he's alright," Niall nodded insistently.

"I wouldn't hurt him," Louis promised.

"Yeah fucking right," Zayn snapped at the thief. "Don't give me that bullshit. Why am I even letting you talk to me? Oh yeah, probably for whatever reason my psycho lead agent is letting you stay in his house."

"Hey," Louis snapped back. "He's not psycho, alright? He's a human and he's got a heart. It isn't like he's not turning me in anyway, he's just giving me the time to do what I  _need to do_. And he's being so kind as to not harass me about it. Do you know why? Because he's the best damn agent there is and probably ever will be, so don't fucking call him psycho. He already hates that he's doing this because you fuckers have been bugging him about it."

All three agents were staring at the thief in shock as he finished his rant, panting slightly. Zayn opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. Niall finally broke the awkward silence by saying, "Yes. Well... we brought your Range Rover, Harry. Um. We'll see you around? Tuesday, or... if you ever feel like inviting us over again since I guess we were kind of dicks or-"

"I don't care when you all come over, really, I don't mind," Harry sighed. "I just figured you wouldn't want to come over when Louis is here, and to be honest I'd rather you not come over if you're going to point guns at his head and pull his hair."

"He's- he's a  _criminal?!_ " Zayn bellowed in bewilderment. "Harry, I- I'm doing this for your safety, I..."

"I don't need you to look out for my safety when I'm in my own home, Zayn," Harry sighed. "As a team, yes. That's what we do for each other. But I need you to understand that Louis isn't dangerous and I'd appreciate it if you'd lay off of him."

"He's out by Sunday?" Zayn pressed.

"Er... Wednesday," Harry corrected, and at Zayn's look of disbelief he quickly added. "If I haven't been at work and if I'm supposed to be on bed rest I can't just miraculously find one of England's most wanted."

"Harry if you... if you push the date back further. I'm going to turn him in myself. Okay?" Zayn pinched the bridge of his nose.

"By all means," Harry forced out, although he was horrifically repulsed by the thought of Zayn leading a handcuffed Louis to a probably life sentence in a cell.  _He_ had to be the one to do it  _himself._ He'd have to explain that Louis needed maybe five years tops and then community service for the rest of it. He needed the best jail where fight rates were down, somewhere the smaller man wasn't at risk for injury.

"Okay," Zayn nodded curtly. "Goodbye, Agent Styles."

Niall's nose scrunched as Zayn turned and strode from the room, and his eyes drifted to the plate of food on the bed, "Oh... I thought I smelled cheese toasties!"

"Louis made them for me," Harry replied softly. "He also made me tea and gave me pain killers. I was going to open the door so you two didn't worry, but Louis didn't want me to have to get up and stretch my chest. But..."

"You're up..." Niall murmured.

"To make sure Louis wasn't being throttled, yes," Harry sighed. "I don't think I trust Zayn to give him a chance? I trust Zayn with everything else but dealing with Louis."

Niall held up his hands, "For the record, I trust you... er... Louis. But if you do something to break my trust I'll probably have to shove my fist down your throat, break your  _teeth_."

Louis held up a single hand as if taking an oath, "I swear to you that I won't break your trust, Agent Horan."

"Well so far you're only building it," Niall chuckled. "Your little speech to Zayn, defending Harry... I don't think Zayn was really insulting Harry to extremes, but it was nice that you defended him."

"I might have overreacted a tad," Louis admitted.

"You didn't," Harry murmured. "It was... thoughtful."

" _Niall!_ " Zayn called through the flat, and Niall gave a chuckle and a salute before he bounded from the room. Harry waited until he heard the door to the house shut before he groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry..." Louis murmured. "You tried to warn me not to open the door."

"Yeah, well Zayn probably would have grilled me on your whereabouts anyway," the agent shrugged, giving Louis a soft smile.

"I don't think I really helped the situation by yelling at him..."

"Well I thought it was hot," Harry admitted. "God, I don't think I've seen you angry. You're not a violent thief. But that was..."

Louis stifled a laugh, moving to help Harry back on the bed, "You should sit down again?"

Harry, however, was too focused on the adorable sound that the older lad had just made, "Did you just fucking giggle? That is probably one of the cutest things..."

"Sit  _down_ ," Louis blushed.

Harry followed Louis' directions, but he waved off the lad's helping hands and situated himself on the bed. Louis watched him carefully to make sure he was alright before he crawled back onto the bed himself, taking up his previous position closely pressed to Harry's side. The younger lad ate his room temperature cheese toastie, nodding to Louis, "Compliments to the chef."

"It's cheese on buttered bread," Louis chuckled. "Not exactly fine cuisine."

"It's brilliant, five stars. Don't make me cuff you."

"Right. You and I both know that you'd like that too much."

Harry gave Louis an amused look of disbelief, setting down his sandwich crusts and brushing the crumbs off his hands onto the plate, "Do you just... always have to have the last word?"

"Yes," Louis responded instantly.

"Well I do, too," Harry challenged.

"Too bad," Louis shot back.

"You're an-" Harry began, but then Louis was pushing the plate aside and silencing Harry with his mouth, sucking on Harry's bottom lip and climbing carefully to straddle him. The older man was careful not to bump Harry's chest, but he curled his small hands into Harry's hair and tugged the agent's face up to accommodate his kneeled position.

"I'm what?" Louis mumbled against Harry's lips.

"You're an idiot," Harry gasped out, but he chased after Louis' lips again.

Louis shook his head in amusement, pulling back and covering Harry's lips, "Uh-uh. I want to use my idiotic mouth for something else."

Harry's eyes widened as Louis wiggled back off of his lap, scooting backwards down to sit on his thighs just before his knee caps. The feathery haired boy proudly tugged down Harry's boxers, letting his half hard cock free. With a smug look, the boy took it into his hand and left Harry's boxers around his thighs. Louis wasn't even moving his fist, simply holding Harry's dick with a proud little smile on his pixie face. Harry squirmed a bit, grimacing at the pain in his sore chest, and managed to push his hips up, "Lou-"

"Oh, do you need something?" Louis shook his head in mock confusion. "I'm afraid I'm too idiotic to know what you could need. Surely it's nothing, right?" Harry grunted, refusing to give in to Louis' teasing as he tried to lift his hips again. Louis' free hand pressed down lightly onto Harry. "Now, now... we don't want to hurt our torso do we? Hips flat on the bed."

"I'm the one supposed to be in control here!" Harry gave a protest that cut off with a splutter as Louis' hand tightened around his dick. "Okay, you're in control."

"Am I an idiot?"

"You're not an idiot."

Louis crowed in triumph, wiggling down further, "I guess now that we've got that covered, I'll suck your cock."

Harry watched wide-eyed as Louis dropped his mouth down and daintily licked the head, making Harry jolt and his dick twitch in Louis' hand. Louis' hair fell down onto his forehead, and he couldn't resist reaching to push it back out of the way so Louis good peek up at him through hooded eyes as he lowered his mouth to suckle gently at the head of Harry's dick. However, Louis pulled off almost immediately, slowly stroking him with his hand instead. Harry nearly whined in protest, "Haven't you teased me enough already?"

"You've got a lot of things to learn about me, Styles," Louis laughed. "And you've got... today is Thursday... so about four days to learn before you're an agent again."

"Why don't I start out with learning how much of my dick can fit in your mouth?" Harry suggested with a groan.

"That's probably the lamest excuse to get back between my lips, but I'll accept it because you're pretty."

Harry couldn't even protest at the use of the feminine term, because then Louis was dropping his mouth down as far as he could, gagging only a little before he relaxed his jaw. Harry could feel his dick hit the back of Louis' throat, and his head fell back as his mouth dropped open in a loud moan, "Oh  _fuck_."

Louis hummed then, sending vibrations coursing up Harry's cock, and the man's hands flew to grasp Louis' hair, pulling him down further so that the man's nose brushed against his pubic hair. Louis gave a shuddering swallow once and spluttered a bit, drool dripping down and hitting Harry's hot skin before Louis pulled off nearly all the way and used his hand at the base instead, bobbing his head to take Harry as deeply as he could. As much as Harry wanted to feel the back of Louis' throat again, he loosened the hold on Louis' hair and smoothed his hair back so he could watch Louis' face.

His small brow was furrowed in concentration, his thin lips red and raw looking where they stretched around Harry's girth. Then again, Harry figured he was seconds away from biting his own bottom lip off as he gnawed at it each time Louis' mouth dropped a little bit lower. The boy honestly was making a mess, drooling down Harry's length, and then a few tears slipped from Louis' eyes. Harry was so startled he instantly seized Louis' face and pulled him off, "Are you alright?"

"Yes?" Louis croaked, his voice wrecked. "Are you?"

"You're crying?" Harry shook his head in bewilderment.

Louis gave a hoarse laugh, "No, no! I'm fine, the tears are from when I nearly choked myself a few times. You're not small, you think my ass would have reminded my mouth of that."

"Well surely my mouth is the only thing that's come into contact with your ass," Harry replied smugly.

"Nope," Louis grinned. "There's been others. If I remember correctly they were much better than you, as well."

Harry grabbed Louis' hair again, forcing his dick back between the boy's lips and cutting off Louis' laughter. Somehow the boy still managed to gurgle out giggles from around Harry's cock, blinking up cheekily at him. It was the humming vibrations from Louis' giggling and the brightness of Louis' eyes behind long, damp lashes that had Harry's muscles going taunt as he grunted out his release, spilling into Louis' mouth.

The older lad nearly swallowed all of it, and then he licked up the bit that had dripped from his mouth onto Harry's toned stomach. He wiped at his mouth, pushed Harry's boxers back up for him, and crawled back up next to Harry as Harry groaned, "It felt so good, you're fantastic at that... I just wish my abdomen muscles weren't murdering me right now. I came so hard the pain medication couldn't even silence them. C'mere..."

Louis wiggled into a comfortable position next to Harry, croaking out with his wrecked voice, "I'm already right here, where else do you want me to go?"

Harry tugged gently at Louis so that the boy nearly fell forward over his torso, managing to throw out an arm to catch himself before he landed on a bruised Harry. He looked up at Harry in disbelief, and Harry pulled at him until he could curl an arm around Louis' back, almost like he was cradling him except for the fact that Louis still had a supportive arm behind himself. His shoulder touched Harry's chest still, but Harry ducked his head down and kissed Louis in a way that was far different from the fucking Louis' mouth had experienced. Harry was gentle with Louis' swollen lips, lightly brushing his own lips to them rather than nipping and sucking like he normally would.

"Just wanted to kiss you, is all," Harry replied. "Because even though I don't like the guilt that my agent brain dumps on me every time I treat you decently, every time I kiss you... some other part of my brain screams at me to keep doing it, to keep making you smile and laugh."

Louis looked stunned, gazing at Harry with wide eyes before he tried to lighten his reaction, tried to save his heart from the agony he knew would come Wednesday when Harry turned him in, "I wouldn't have taken you as a sap, Styles."

"Well I'll make you a deal," Harry smiled gently. "You don't tell anyone I'm a sap... and I won't tell anyone that you have the power to suck a person's brain out through their dick."

Louis rolled his eyes, "Oh stop, you're flattering me."

Harry's smiled widened, and Louis poked softly at one of his dimples before he pushed himself up and out of the half cradle Harry had put him in. The agent frowned at that, and his frown only deepened as Louis moved to climb off the bed, "Where are you going?"

Louis blushed, gesturing down to the bulge in his boxers, "To the bathroom to take care of this."

"That's what I'm for," Harry corrected, carefully wiggling down lower onto the bed. "Come on, then. Come straddle me like you kissed me before and I'll try to beat the blow job you just gave me."

And Louis nodded enthusiastically, scrambling carefully onto the boy with a relieved sigh as Harry's long fingers slipped beneath the waistband of Louis' boxers.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

After a pleasure induced nap, Louis made frozen pizza for Harry and himself, and they ate it as they lounged lazily on the couch, Harry in sweats and a t-shirt while Louis was in pajamas pants and a jumper with sleeves far too long for his arms. When lunch was out of the way, Harry tugged a surprised Louis so that his head rested in the boy's lap.

"Is this your way of hinting that you want another blow job?" Louis asked him.

Harry shook his head, flipping on the television with the remote, "You'd be face down for that. Just wanna play with your hair, is all."

At that, Harry's long fingers began carding through Louis' soft hair, and the older man raised his eyebrows, "Oh. Okay."

"I never watch anything during this time of day, I'm always working," the agent murmured. "It seems to me that everything on right now falls into two categories: bullshit and adverts."

"You're not wrong."

"Tell me a story," Harry demanded.

"I can... tell you more  _about_ one of my favourite stories?" Louis offered. "But I can't just make any up, and I know you've heard the one I'm going to tell you about."

"Sherlock Holmes?" Harry guessed.

"Try again," Louis grinned, and Harry lightly flicked his nose before he brushed his thumb across the bridge of it. It was too cute and buttonish to resist.

"Robin Hood."

"There you go!" Louis praised, reaching up to pat Harry's cheek until Harry tugged lightly at a few strands of Louis' hair.

"Get on with it, then, criminal," he chuckled.

"Okay... so Robin Hood. Did you know it was actually Robyn Hode to begin with? Y in Robin rather than I."

"I did not."

"It's true. But the man was named Robin Hood, people say he was a real person. Now it's undecided if he was from Wakefield, Yorkshire... or if he was from where they first expected, Nottingham where he lived in the Sherwood Forest. I've aspired to be like him, you know. I'm just bollocks at archery and I don't have a group of "merry men" to tag along with me," Louis explained, and Harry was entranced by how animate Louis was in the telling of his story. "But the whole stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, concept. I've always fancied it 'cause as a child, my father left my mother and I. Money was tight but everything was alright because then my stepfather came around and money wasn't an issue anymore. That was until my four sisters were born and my stepfather up and left.  _Then_ things were bad. I tried everything I could to help my mum out, she worked so many shifts just to keep our tiny three bedroom house, just to feed us."

"Yeah, that sounds rough..." Harry said softly, his hands still stroking soothingly at Louis' hair.

"Things got better, though... and not because of me. She met another guy and as far as I know she's still with him and they're doing alright. But that experience, it just made me want to have to help other people from going through that. Kids mainly. Like, my sisters were too young to really understand what was going on. They never understood why they got toothbrushes for Christmas when other kids were getting PlayStation and expensive stuff. But they were still so happy, they bragged about their new toothbrushes on the bus and the other kids looked at them like they were crazy. I may have split a younger kid’s lip when he made fun of my sister Lottie because of it."

"I probably would have done the same."

"It just..." Louis made a strangled sound, and much to Harry's dismay a few tears leaked from his eyes, his once happy exterior gone. "It really upsets me that there's kids out there who have literally nothing- I want... I want to be able to give them  _something_ I want to see their faces light up like it's the best day of their lives. I know people say that it's not what Christmas is about but I don't just mean Christmas. They're  _kids._ They aren't going to be that way for long, I want them to be able to be happy instead of sad and miserable and-"

"Hey, hey..." Harry cooed, cupping Louis' face and wiping away the tears. He was trying to remain calm, but in all honesty he was bewildered by the criminal’s sudden weakness. But he also felt distressed. He didn't like this sad Louis, he wanted Louis happy and cheeky. "I know what you mean, I know. It really sucks these days, huh? But it got better for your sisters didn't it? And you took care of them. I bet they loved that, I bet that made them happier than anything."

"I guess..." Louis sniffed. "I tried, but-"

"And I bet you were the best big brother ever. And as for other kids, I bet they'll all have something that brightens their day as well. Big brothers, big sisters, friends... their parents? Sounds to me like you had a pretty great mum."

"I told you I was a mummy's boy..." Louis gave a teary chuckle, wiping at his eyes.

"I think you're just a great son and brother all in one, and if I could kiss your forehead right now I would," Harry told him fondly. Louis sat up then, leaning carefully forward so Harry could kiss his forehead without hurting himself. The criminal laid back down then, placing his head back in Harry's lap and chewing slightly on his lower lip. Harry pursed his lips as well. "You're honestly such a fantastic person... I bet you could have gone on to be like a charity holder, raising all sorts of money for rich people to give to poor kids. So how'd you get yourself into this mess?"

"Well..." Louis sighed hesitantly. "The reason... the reason I steal from all those jewellery stores is because-"

"Hold that thought," Harry gasped suddenly, turning up the television louder and sitting to attention. Louis sat up as well, confusedly focusing on the screen to find what appeared to be the news.

 _"We've been given an anonymous tape that has since been handed over to the police, but it's content is intriguing. It appears to hold a man who is plotting against a federal Agent by the name of Harry Styles,"_ a woman dressed in a horrid looking plaid suit was explaining.  _"We'll show you a clip here."_

And then Louis snarled as Nick Grimshaw's face appeared on the screen, a smirk on his stupid face,  _"Escaped me twice, Styles, but third times the charm. Hiding out in your home won’t work either. I'll find you, you know, and then I'll be far more important than that amateur Louis Tomlinson. Nick Grimshaw out."_

Harry was staring with raised eyebrows at the screen, and then he croaked, "Well."

From the kitchen, Harry's phone rang out, and Louis leaped up to retrieve it for him. He rushed it back to the agent, thrusting it out, "How much do you want to bet it's over that video?"

"I just want to know why they gave it to the police instead of us," Harry growled before he answered the phone. "Styles?"

"Harry!" Zayn rushed out. "That Grimshaw guy, he-"

"I saw it on the news," Harry sighed. "I'm not too worried, so-"

"You don't understand," Zayn sounded bewildered. "They're sending agents to your house because of it! Don't you remember who is currently wandering free in your  _house?"_

 Harry's breath caught in his throat, and his eyes flashed to Louis' worried ones, "Fucking hell."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

"What's the matter?" Louis asked in concern, reaching to touch Harry's arm. Harry shook his head, grabbing at Louis' shirt to prepare to drag him off to wherever he could hide him.

"How far away are they?" Harry gasped.

"I guess they left like ten minutes ago!" Zayn rushed out. "I only just found about it, I-"

"Gotta go, bye."

"Harry-" Louis tried again, but Harry none-to-gently tossed his phone onto the coffee table and grabbed Louis' arm, dragging him toward the hall.

"We have to hide you, I-" he muttered frantically, looking in the bathroom, the closet, his room. "But where?! What if they search my house? They'll find you and they'll think you're with Grimshaw and I can't just tell them you aren't because how would I know that?"

"What are you talking about?" Louis was completely lost.

"Agents. They're coming here and they're going to want to bug my house inside and out to watch for Grimshaw. We have to hide you," Harry explained desperately.

"Under your bed?" Louis asked.

"I'm afraid they'll just... they'll search the place or something, the woods around it. I don't know what to do, Louis!" Harry tugged a bit too sharply, and then gasped as his chest screamed in protest.

"Stop, stop," Louis murmured, looking around. "I've done this for over a year Harry, have a little faith. How big are your vents?"

"Absolutely not," Harry objected. "This house is old, you'll fall right through and into the wall or something. You’d never fit anyway, I don't care how tiny you are."

"Umm," Louis pursed his lips. "Well how much time do they have?"

"Like ten minutes," Harry ran his hands across his face. "If they think you were targeting me in a life threatening manner they won't let me be involved with your case. They'll send you to jail and I won't get a say on which jail either, they'll probably send you to the absolute worst one ever where-"

"Harry, I'm pretty sure any jail is going to be the exact same. I'm a gay male going to a place full of hard edged criminals that are so strongly opinioned they're in jail for it. Something tells me that I won't even have to drop soap for people to take advantage of me. Look at me, I'm tiny... and I'm not one to fight back."

"No, to hell with them," Harry spat. "You're going to go to a jail that has a low crime rate, excellent guards, and they're not going to fucking touch you- why are we having this conversation when we should be hiding you?!"

"Do you trust me?" Louis asked.

"What?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"You trust me right?" Louis nodded insistently.

"I let you sleep in my bed, surely you can tell that I-"

Louis darted forward and slammed his lips to Harry's startling the agent. He held Harry's face rather than pulling him close by his injured torso, standing on his tip toes for better access, and then he pulled back, "That’s for if they catch me. And if they don't catch me... I'll be back. But don't worry, Robin Hood always escapes. Most of the time."

And then Louis was darting away as Harry yelped, "What?!"

But the man peeked out the front door before he bolted, the door clicking shut behind him as if he wasn't even there in the first place. Harry scrambled after him, but his chest protested as his muscles tightened. He wrenched open the door, looking around in hopes of seeing Louis, but the thief was gone. And Harry didn't even know if Louis would come back. He'd said he was coming back, but it could have been just to keep Harry from being determined to come after him. But for some strange reason, Harry couldn't bring himself to care that much. Louis would be safe from the other agents that would send him to a horrible prison. He'd catch Louis again, he was sure of it. Or Louis would come to him like the first time, rather. He would definitely see Louis again.

At that moment four vehicles were speeding onto the far end of the road, headed towards his house. He clicked the door shut and tried to make himself look miserable rather than fairly looked after. He rumpled his clothing, mussed up his hair, and he didn't even have to try to look stressed. Because he could only hope that Louis had gotten far away. The cars pulled up to his house, and several agents piled out. He recognised them as the men from Agent Murs team, and he watched through the peep hole as they all hurried towards his house. Before they could even knock, he opened the door with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh. Agent Styles," the one in front said in surprise. "How did you-"

"I heard your vehicles," Harry murmured. "I was just watching the news. I know that Grimshaw is looking for me."

"Yes... Payne put us on the case," the man nodded. "Since it's a direct threat to you."

"A second direct threat," Harry chuckled. "He didn't mind the first one. I'll have to file a report for Payne, talk to him. I can handle the case. Once I'm back at the bureau I'll have a talk with him. It's not really necessary for you to be here."

"Sir, don't you think it would be best if we bugged your house? For your own safety of course..." the man asked.

"Agent...?"

"Agent Owen," the man replied.

"Agent Owen," Harry sighed before he forced a grin. "I honestly dare Nick Grimshaw to try to get in my house. First off, he's never going to find out where I live. You guys probably had trouble finding it, yes?"

"Well we took a wrong turn, but-"

"Turned on street rather than lane?" Harry asked.

"Yes..." they nodded.

"Yeah," Harry chuckled. "You don't need to bug my house. I'm safe."

"Can we at least look?" the agent asked. "Just so Payne is satisfied."

Harry sighed dramatically, stepping aside and waving his hand, "Fine, fine... have at it. You won't be finding anything. But please hurry, my torso hurts like a bitch."

"We'll split up," the man offered. "Three of us in here, four of us out there."

Panic lurched into Harry's throat, but he kept his face clear, "What's the point in looking out there? It's bloody cold, anyone out there is crazy."

But then his heart was aching, because Louis was out there in only pajama bottoms and a jumper. Agent Owen shrugged, "I know, but it's mandatory..."

"I know, I know," Harry chuckled. "I'm an agent, too..."

"Right," Agent Owen shook his head. "Sorry. We'll search and get out of your way. No bugging?"

"No bugging," Harry replied firmly.

Harry went and sat as calmly on his couch as he could manage, but with four men out in the trees behind his house, he couldn't exactly relax. He could almost imagine hearing them give a shout, and then they'd come bursting into the house with Louis forced in front of them his hands behind his back. They'd shove him onto his knees and he'd look apologetically up to Harry. Or even worse, they'd think he was threatening them, and he'd never see Louis. He'd just hear the shot ring out.

But they weren't even looking for Louis, he had to keep that in consideration. They were looking for Grimshaw. He vaguely noticed the other three agents searching the closets and corners of his house carefully. Something in him wanted to snap at them, ask how on earth they expected someone to get into his house if he was in it.

But then Agent Owen was standing in front of Harry, "We finished searching the house... we're just waiting for the people outside to finish."

"Oh," Harry murmured. "Right. Okay."

Harry stood painfully, following Agent Owen and the other agents to the door. Much to his surprise, Zayn was pulling in behind the other agent's vehicles. Harry pretended to huff, "Oh joy, more harassment."

Agent Owen chuckled, and then nodded to himself as the other four agents came around from the back of the house. One of them called out, "Absolutely nothing. Doesn't seem like anyone has been in those woods for ages."

"I go in there all the time," Harry scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

"Ignore Agent Styles," Zayn sighed. "He's always grumpy. Just... you can go on your way. Sorry you had to come all the way out here for what I'm guessing was nothing? He won't let you bug his house, right? That's Harry Styles for you. He doesn't need help from anyone, ever."

Harry shrugged and all the other agents chuckled. Agent Owen gave Harry a slight wave, "Sorry for intruding... it was Payne's orders. Have a good day, Agent."

All of the other agents loaded back up into the vehicles, and Zayn and Harry slipped back into the house. The moment the other agents were turning around and their vehicles were disappearing down the road, Zayn was in front of Harry, "How did you do that, where did you hide him?"

"I didn't..." Harry croaked.

"What?" Zayn shook his head. "What are you saying?"

"He hid himself," Harry whispered. "Outside of the house. He... he's not here."

"He..." Zayn's jaw dropped. "You let him escape. You let him escape?!"

Harry simply blinked at him in return, crossing his arms. It wasn't like he'd wanted Louis to escape. In fact, he thought he could trust Louis. He still did trust Louis. Surely the boy would be back. Zayn lunged forward to grab Harry's shoulders, and from the hall a voice protested, "Hey, he's hurt, don't."

The two agents whipped around to find Louis standing in the opening to the hall. Zayn's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and Harry gave a surprised bark of laughter, nearly darting forward to hug the older man, "Where the hell were you hiding?"

"Climbed an evergreen tree back there," Louis motioned with his thumb. "When I saw the agents leave I climbed down and climbed in through Harry's window. I hid in his closet and listened to you all talk to make sure it was safe. I'm a bit offended, Agent Styles. You didn't trust me!"

"That's... how did you..." Zayn shook his head.

"Zayn," Harry sighed, motioning to Louis. "You are in the presence of the thief who avoided us for over a year. Are you seriously questioning how he hid from the agents? He's Louis Tomlinson."

The dark haired agent ran a hand over his face, "You could have escaped. You could have just ran off and never came back."

"Well I told Harry I would..."

Zayn made a spluttering sound, "Right. You told Harry you would. That makes sense. Okay. I'm just... I'm going to go question everything I ever learned in training."

Louis gave an awkward shrug, "Sorry... so Harry... more pain meds?"

"I think I'm good," Harry replied.

Louis nodded, but walked forward past Harry and Zayn to pick up the plates they'd used, "Funny... you think they'd have noticed that you had two plates sitting on your table when you were all by yourself."

"Maybe they just thought I was a slob," Harry chuckled. "Or maybe they just suck. Their lead agent is probably on rest like me. He actually got shot whereas-"

"Yeah, let's not talk about that," Louis announced, scooping up the plates before he flaunted from the room and into the kitchen. Zayn was gawking at the boy, and he made a gurgling sound as he heard the sink turn on.

"What is he doing?"

"Washing my dishes," Harry sighed. "He's... helpful."

"I don't get it."

"Do you see why I trust him?" Harry asked. "He could have left. He could have escaped, but he didn't. He came back."

"He didn't have the jewellery," Zayn pointed out. "He said he wouldn't leave without the jewellery? Well I guess he could just go steal more, but-"

"He doesn't like stealing just to steal," Harry told him. "He only steals when he has to."

Zayn's eyes were suddenly widening, and Harry frowned at him. The older agent's face expressed disbelief, and he stepped closer to Harry, grabbing his shirt as he leaned in. Harry was a few hairs taller, however, and Zayn had to look up slightly, "What's happening between you and him. Tell me right now. You're falling in love with him. Or something. Something is happening here, your face is fond."

Harry tried to keep his face blank, but he paled, "I..."

Zayn released Harry, running his hands across his face, "Okay... okay. As a friend. Not as a team mate. Tell me as a friend. I can't get as angry if we're doing this in a friendly manner."

"That's a damn lie," Harry accused.

"So it is something!" Zayn declared.

"Yeah," Harry snapped. "He's sucked my cock better than anyone has in my entire life."

Zayn's jaw dropped, and Harry could tell that it wasn't quite what he was expecting. Judging by the wheezing sound that was escaping him, he definitely hadn't been prepared for the news. Harry heard the water in the kitchen flick off, and then Louis crept into the room cautiously, "Is he alright? Does he need the Heimlich?"

"You sucked his dick?" Zayn roared, pointing at Louis in accusation, and Louis looked to Harry in shock.

"Uh..."

"I told him," Harry sighed, meeting Louis' eyes. "Not everything? But enough I think."

"What?" Zayn croaked. "There's more? Let me guess, you've probably shagged, too, am I right?"

"Right," Harry pursed his lips. "And watch."

Harry strode determinedly to Louis, cupping the boy's face. Louis's nose scrunched, "Actually, maybe you shouldn't-"

But then Harry pressed his lips to Louis', and then Harry was fairly certain Zayn was having an aneurism. The lead agent pulled away, and Louis gave him a nervous smile. The dark haired man was hunched over with his palms on the coffee table, nearly bent at a ninety degree angle as he wheezed. Harry stood patiently and waited for him to recover before he spoke up, "So. Now you know, as my friend, what's happening here."

"You're dating a criminal-" Zayn croaked.

"Um, no actually..." Harry corrected. "He's just a fantastic shag and a great kisser. It's more like a criminal and agent relationship... with benefits."

However, Harry missed the slight look of hurt that crossed Louis' face. Louis nodded, though, "With benefits. Yeah. Nothing more. And come Wednesday Harry will be taking me in for prosecution. So."

"But you asked, so I showed you," Harry sighed. "If you don't believe me Louis and I could-"

"No!" Zayn shook his head desperately, holding up his hands. "I believe you, I... I just can't fathom why on earth you'd do that. We're professional, and-"

"Lots of built up sexual tension," Louis mumbled. "If it was more Harry wouldn't take me to prison. You even said yourself you'd take me if necessary, though. So don't worry about what we're doing until then."

"Would you do this with anyone else?" Zayn asked Harry

The lead agent gave a startled laugh of disbelief, "Of course not! Have I ever been lenient before? If I had caught Louis on the scene of a crime, Zayn, you can bet your ass that he wouldn't be here. But I wasn't even on duty when he showed up at my house and he came here to warn me. To basically save my life for a second time. That's why I'm giving him a chance to take care of one last thing, and the sexual shit just kind of happened."

Zayn looked to Louis then, taking in the thief's exterior. He was slightly stunned by the upset look on Louis' face, and it hit him in a startling realisation that the criminal didn't see things the way Harry did. Louis liked Harry. Zayn knew that the criminal had to like Harry, because if he didn't he sure as hell wouldn't have come back to the house. He wasn't even involved with what was happening, couldn't understand it, but Louis was proving more and more that he wasn't some heartless thief.

"I- I'm going to go," Zayn swallowed hard. "I'm going to need therapy for this."

"You can tell Niall if you'd like," Harry sighed. "He's someone to talk to. And if you want to turn me in, go for it."

"I'm not turning you in," Zayn covered his face with his hands. "I don't know why I'm not, but I'm not. I am going to tell Niall though. Not that he'll care. He'll probably just laugh."

"You asked to know, so I told you," Harry was still defending himself.

"Yeah..." Zayn mumbled. "Remind me not to do that again."

The other agent gave them a small, embarrassed wave, and then he was rushing back out of the house for the second time that day. Harry turned back to Louis, a wide smile on his face, and he flung his arms around him, "You crazy son of a bitch! You climbed a tree!

"Yeah..." Louis murmured, still unable to get past the fact that he was apparently the only one who was feeling more than just a friends, if that, with benefits relationship.

Harry pulled back, realising that Louis wasn't returning the hug, "You alright? Are you hurt or something?"

"No I'm fine," Louis murmured. "Let's just... watch some more television or something."

"Oh... alright," Harry agreed, letting Louis walk past him to sit on the couch. The older man had seemed happier a few moments before, and Harry wondered if it upset him that he'd given permission to Zayn to tell Niall. He followed after him, sitting down so that their thighs touched and looking to Louis despite the fact that Louis was flicking on the television that had been turned off, purposely ignoring Harry. "Sure?"

"I'm sure," Louis nodded.

"Well... alright," Harry murmured. "Didn't you have something to tell me earlier?"

Louis was quiet for a minute, but shook his head, "It's nothing, now..."

The thief was silent for several hours, only nodding or making sounds of acknowledgement if Harry spoke. Even if the agent attempted to start conversation Louis would give him a one word answer, shrug him off. He made them pasta that evening for dinner, not accepting the beer that Harry offered him. However, Louis did put Harry's beer back in the fridge when the younger man tried to put it on the table.

"Louis- what?"

"You're on medication right now," Louis replied softly. "You can't have that. Drink juice or something instead."

And although he wasn't one to usually let people tell him what to do, he obeyed Louis. He managed to convince Louis to help him shower, hoping he could sneakily give Louis a hand job, but Louis made Harry get out and go get dressed before he stepped back in to wash himself. He waited for the older boy in bed, but he heard the bathroom door open, and Louis didn't come down the hall. With a huff, he climbed back up and walked down the hall, nearly running into Louis has he was coming out of the kitchen. He silently handed Harry more painkillers and a cup of tea before he turned into the living room and went to lay on the couch, turning off the television.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked him in confusion.

"Going to sleep?" Louis replied.

"Come get in my bed..." Harry offered. "That couch can't be comfortable."

"I really shouldn't," Louis disagreed. "I'll just sleep here for the rest of the week."

Harry marched over to Louis then, "Don't be ridiculous. Come on."

"No, Harry," Louis huffed.

And then Harry took his pills and set his tea down on the coffee table before he tugged Louis to his feet, ignoring his chest's protests, "Come on. You're coming with me."

"Honestly, Harry-"

"You've been so closed off and quiet ever since Zayn left, so I'm going to make you speak," Harry announced, forcing Louis in front of him and ushering him down the hall.

"I've been speaking," Louis mumbled sassily, but then yelped in surprise as Harry yanked down his pajama bottoms. "Harry!"

"On the bed," Harry requested, knowing that if Louis really didn't want anything, then he could simply brush past Harry and go back to the couch. Harry's torso was still too sore to actually force Louis to do anything, not that he ever would. But it was clear that Louis wasn't even going to protest, because he had scrambled onto the bed in an instant, lying face down on the pillows. Harry simply patted his bum. "On your back, love."

Louis rolled onto his back, his blue eyes wide and already glazed over with interest. His cock was already hardening up against his stomach, and Harry crawled onto the bed, palming him dryly. Louis gasped out sharply, frowning, "You're clothed..."

"I don't need to be naked to make you come from just my tongue," Harry announced, moving Louis' legs so that they were splayed apart, his feet placed flat on the bed. Harry had yet to actually place his tongue anywhere on Louis, but the older man whimpered at the thought.

"Oh shit..."

Harry chuckled throatily, leaning down and ignoring the pain in his chest so he could lap at Louis' dick, his balls, and then he wiggled to lay down gingerly onto his stomach. It hurt a bit, but it was better than stretching the muscles there. He adjusted so that his feet were hanging off of the bed due to his long legs, but so his head was positioned perfectly between Louis' legs. Ever so gently, Harry nuzzled against one of them, kissing the soft skin there, "You have the hottest legs... your thighs..."

"Harry..." Louis groaned.

"They're so perfect... I'd like to get my dick between them."

"Who's stopping you?" Louis squeaked.

"Your arse," Harry laughed, and then he bit sharply at Louis' thigh, sucking a mark onto it as Louis jolted and cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure. He was quick to smooth at the mark with his tongue, making Louis shiver and whine.

But then he licked a flat stripe across Louis' hole, feeling it clench beneath his tongue and hearing as Louis exhaled out his air all at once. And then he really delved in, curling his arms around both sides of Louis' legs and burying his face between Louis' cheeks. Louis grunted in surprise, and then whined high in his throat as Harry's tongue prodded teasingly at his hole, "Oh- oh. Shit, Harry, Jesus-"

Harry hummed in acknowledgement, and Louis could feel it there. It had him scrambling at the sheets before one hand flew up to clamp of his mouth, embarrassed by the whimpers that he couldn't control. He felt another stinging nip to his other thigh, "No... don't cover your mouth. I want to hear you, that's the point of this."

Louis hesitantly removed his hands, adjusting the pillows behind his head so he could see the curly head between his legs. The stubble scratching against him was already almost too much, and then Harry's tongue was back to circling his rim. Louis gurgled out a whine, his hands flying to seize Harry's hair. He wanted the boy's tongue inside, needed it inside. Much to his dismay, no amount of tugging at the curls could budge Harry. It simply made the younger man moan, and feeling the vibrations against his hole made his thighs twitch in against Harry's head, "I can feel when you make sounds, holy shit-“

Harry grinned, and Louis could even feel that. But Harry, being the cheeky boy that he was, simply hummed again, "Mhmm..."

Louis shrieked, his legs twitching again and bumping Harry's head, "Oh God-"

Harry's hands tightened their grip on Louis' thighs, and he pushed them further apart and lifted his head to frown at Louis, "You're going to crush my head with your thighs. Control yourself."

The thief ignored him, tightening his hold on Harry's hair to tug him back to his hole, babbling without really making much sense, "Harry. Tonguetonguetongue-"

"Like this?" Harry asked, leaning and flicking his tongue rapidly across Louis' already spit soaked hole, and Louis arched his back with a wail. Harry hadn't even touched Louis' cock, Louis was too incomprehensive to touch his own cock, and it was red and swollen against Louis' belly.

"Please," he grunted. "Just- God... your tongue-"

"I've heard my mouth is decent, as well..." Harry hummed, and Louis shuddered again. Harry attached his lips over Louis' rim, sucking lightly and trying to push his tongue in. He couldn't remember ever enjoying rimming someone as much, had only done it a few times, but Louis tasted clean and made the prettiest sounds. "This is basically what I wanted from you. This was a good idea. But I thought you said that other people had done this better? Were you as responsive with them?"

"No!" Louis gasped. "You. You, you, you, your tongue-"

"Hmm," Harry hummed, and Louis gave a sob of pleasure. As Harry continued to circle his tongue around Louis, Louis' thighs began trembling in his hands. Harry tilted his head so he could look at Louis, lightly blowing cool air onto Louis' clenching and unclenching entrance. "Hey..."

Louis turned his tear stained face to Harry, looking absolutely wrecked, his blue eyes wet and his thin lips bitten a pretty red. He gave a gurgle of acknowledgement, and Harry kept eye contact as he moved his tongue back to Louis', slipping a finger inside his slick entrance as he pushed his tongue in beside it as well. And then Louis shrieked, his back arching as he came so hard he coated his chest and managed to get a few drops on Harry's pillows as well, "Oh fucking h-hell-"

He lay weakly on the mattress, his thighs going limp in Harry's grasp as sobbing gasps for air escaped his mouth. Harry planted a single kiss onto Louis' wet hole, and he cried out at the feeling. Harry was painfully hard in his pants as he wiggled up and licked Louis' stomach clean before his chest finally hurt so badly he had to flop onto his back, rubbing at it and his dick at the same time. But then Louis was rolling over to him and slipping his hand into Harry's pants to stroke him to a quick and messy orgasm.

Harry spilled into his boxers with a grunt, and craned his neck to kiss Louis. Louis covered his mouth however, shaking his head, "You're going to take like arse and semen. No."

"I need to change my boxers anyway," Harry huffed. "I'll brush my teeth."

"I need to do that as well," Louis murmured. "I didn't brush them after lunch. Just after I sucked you off this morning."

"Wait," Harry shook his head as he sat up with a pained grunt. "I don't... I never even gave you a toothbrush? How have you not tasted like-"

"Because I found one under your sink," Louis chuckled. "I'm borrowing it."

"No, you stole it!" Harry gasped in mock offense. "How could you!"

"Once a thief always a thief," Louis declared, but then he sighed. "I'll buy you another."

"Oh, shut the hell up," Harry rolled his eyes, offering to help Louis up. Louis waved his hand away, sitting up and shivering at the feeling of sheets on his sensitive bum.

Harry stripped his come-stained pillow cases and tossed them into a pile with his dirty boxers before the two tugged on new pants and left the room. They headed into the bathroom, and Louis cleaned his bum off again with a wet towel. His nose scrunched, "Your tongue has ruined me."

Harry chuckled around his toothbrush, spitting in the sink before he grinned smugly, "I didn't even have to touch your dick. You were begging for it. Half the things you said didn't even make since."

"Be quiet," Louis pouted, moving to brush his teeth as Harry moved away from the sink. "I've had better."

"You're a liar," Harry declared. "You told me I was the best. I had you weak and pliant, I probably could have gotten anything out of you."

"Well you got an orgasm out of me, isn't that good enough?" Louis grumbled, squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

Harry cooed, leaning and kissing Louis' temple, "You really do have the best orgasm face. But I got you to talk to me. That's good enough for me. You were angry with me earlier. I should have asked you about that while I had your sass weakened."

"I wasn't angry," Louis mumbled.

"Don't lie," Harry declared. "Why were you angry?"

Louis stuffed the toothbrush into his mouth instead, holding his hands up helplessly as if he couldn't talk to Harry anymore. Harry lifted an eyebrow, waiting for Louis to spit his toothpaste out in the sink. Louis turned to glance at him, "Can I help you?"

"Tell me why you weren't talking to me earlier!"

Louis gave a surprised laugh, "Um... no?"

"Louis please, what did I do that made you upset?"

Louis simply flaunted past Harry and down the hall. Harry sighed, following the thief back to his room. Louis crawled across the bed, burrowing down under Harry's comforter and hiding himself, "It was stupid."

"I'm sure it wasn't," Harry assured. "Why were you upset? You look even tinier than usual under the covers like that, by the way."

"I won't tell you," Louis declared. "And good. I'm staying under here until Wednesday."

"Mean..." Harry pursed his lips thoughtfully, and then gasped out in attempt to sound like he was in pain. He clutched his torso as Louis sat up, and then the older man was scrambling to his aid.

"Harry, are you alright? You shouldn't even be standing, you shouldn't have laid on it-"

Harry smirked at him, removing his hand and winking at Louis, "Gotcha."

"Dick," Louis spat, turning to stomp back over the bed. Harry caught his wrist, however, pulling Louis back and bumping their noses together.

"Please tell me?" he whispered. "Please? I can't apologise if I don't know what I did wrong? Was it because I told Zayn and told him he could tell Niall?"

Louis looked at him skeptically for a moment, but then he sighed, "No. That's not the reason. Let's get you in bed and then I'll tell you."

"Deal," Harry nodded, waving off Louis' hands as he tried to help the agent back to bed.

Louis made sure Harry had the blankets adjusted around him well before he turned out the lights and climbed in on the other side, wiggling close to Harry shyly. Harry turned onto his side as much as his chest would allow, reaching out to place his hand on Louis' chest. Louis covered it with his own, his eyes fluttering closed as he began, "I got upset for a silly reason. I wasn't mad, though. Just... hurt."

"So you were hurt?" Harry startled. "How did you-"

"No, not physically," Louis shook his head. "You'd hear about it if I was, remember? The video about my elbow?"

"Right..." Harry murmured. "So why were you upset?"

"Because..." Louis sighed, but then through all his cares out the window. "You said we were just a criminal and an agent with benefits."

"Are we not?"

"Maybe to you we are. And maybe to me it's different."

"Different how?"

And to be such a clever agent, Louis was beginning to think that Harry was seriously dumb. I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you ever since you fucking called me out on the news, Louis thought to himself. But instead of voicing his opinion, he lied, "I'd like to think we're kind of... friends."

"Oh," Harry sounded surprised. "Right. Friends. We are friends."

"Right," Louis agreed. "I told you it was a dumb reason."

"No, it wasn't dumb," Harry disagreed. "You didn't know. But you do now. We are kind of friends. We can be friends, even if we aren't supposed to be. Sorry if I made you think otherwise."

"I'm going to go to sleep now," Louis murmured. "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Louis..." Harry said softly, hating that he'd hurt Louis by making him think they weren't friends. Because they were, Harry decided he could allow that. But he wanted more, and he couldn't have that. But he thought that at least Louis only thought of them as friends and nothing more, because if they both fell in love with one another... it would be hard when Wednesday came.

"Goodnight, Harry."

Harry snuggled closer to Louis despite the pain in his torso, cuddling the smaller man. Because they were friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Louis woke up curled on his side, and he was positively sweating. At some point during the night, Harry had completely turned onto his side as well and had sidled up behind the smaller man, spooning him. Yet the curly haired agent was also clutching onto Louis tightly, his nose buried into the older man's neck and his hair tickling Louis' cheek. The man's long body was radiating the most intense heat, and Louis' couldn't escape.

He squirmed as nonchalantly as he could, trying to escape the arms wrapped around him and trying not to hurt the younger man's chest, but then the arms tightened and Harry inhaled deeply before sighing his thumb stroking across the bare skin of Louis' chest since his clinging arms had pushed up the grey cotton of his t-shirt, "Morning..."

"Hi," Louis murmured. "I'm going to get sweat on you."

"Well with the past two days, that isn't anything new."

"No," Louis tried again. "I mean you're a fucking space heater. I'm being smothered."

Harry laughed, cuddling closer, "You're soft... your skin I mean."

Louis thought for a moment, but then tried to crane his head back to look at the other agent, "How are you not hurting your chest?"

Harry pressed a kiss between Louis' eyes, making him go cross-eyed for a few moments, "My chest isn't so bad today. My abdomen still hurts, but that I can deal with. My chest effected how I breathed, my shoulders, my arms..."

"Well that's good," Louis murmured, but then smirked. "Hard-shelled Agent Styles, takes in thieves and cuddles them until they have a heatstroke."

"Just the cute, tiny, jewellery thieves," Harry sighed, but he released Louis, rolling onto his back with a grunt.

"M'not tiny," Louis grumbled, clumsily climbing off the bed as he stretched. "What do we want for breakfast?"

"Let's just eat cold pizza from the fridge and then we can cuddle some more," Harry replied, sitting up with a wince and clutching his abdomen.

"If anyone would have told me last week that you liked to cuddle I would have laughed at them," Louis huffed, but then he looked at Harry in sympathy. "Want me to get you some painkillers?"

"I feel like I've done about three hundred crunches before I was hit by a bus," Harry declared.

"I'll take that as a yes," Louis gave a curt nod, and then he was hurrying from the room and down the hall to the kitchen. There were still a few dishes in the sink, so he decided to wash them after he put a kettle on. In front of the sink, there was a small window, and Louis opened the blinds just a bit so he could look out. It was cloudy, like always, and he gazed out absentmindedly as he scrubbed at a plate with a soapy sponge.

"Did you get trapped in the refrigerator?" Harry called to him.

"No, I'm actually washing your dishes, smart ass," Louis called back, but he grinned to himself. His smile quickly faltered, however, as he thought about the previous night. He had  _almost_ told Harry that he loved him. He wanted to tell him. But he didn't want to freak him out, didn't want Harry to push him away again. He'd gone from wanting to get on Harry's good side to wanting on Harry's good side where he could stay there forever.

"You're a great man," Harry finally laughed loudly, snapping Louis from his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah," Louis replied loudly. "I'm making you tea, as well."

"I'll try to keep the harassing to a minimum then."

But before he could respond to Harry, he spotted something moving in the tree line not far from the house. He nearly dropped the bowl he was washing, leaning closer and squinting. It appeared to be a man with dark hair, but he had a scarf to protect himself from the cold and it made his face unidentifiable. The short distance didn't give any support to Louis' vision as well, and the man's height couldn't be determined either. Louis frowned, finding it peculiar. He was about to inform Harry of the stranger prowling the edge of Harry's woods, but then he recalled a certain news broadcast from the night before, one with a threatening dark haired man who claimed he was going to find Harry.

The thief's blood ran cold, and his eyes flickered to the hall. It almost seemed like the person was using the tree line to make his way around the house, more towards the side Harry's room was on. The side Harry's  _window_ was on. Louis dried his hands on a dish towel as they began to shake, slipping to the door and unlocking it. He winced as the latch clicked loudly, and Harry called out, "Louis?"

"Yep!" Louis called back, forcing his voice to be cheery. "Just looking outside to see what the weather is like."

"There's a thing called windows-"

"I'm short," Louis tried, and he felt slightly relieved as Harry gave a bark of laughter. But only slightly. "I'm gonna step outside for a sec. Try not to miss me. I'll be listening for the whistle of the kettle though, so don't worry about that. Just stay in bed, you're hurt."

"Oh... okay..."

He could hear Harry's confusion, but he could only hope the younger man would trust him as he slipped out of the house. He didn't close the door completely, but he crept around the edge of the small house to glance at the tree line. The man was gone, more than likely making his way around to the other side of the house still. Louis bolted for the tree line, wincing as the cold hit his skin, soaked up into his bare feet. Just as he darted behind an evergreen, he spotted the man again. He was in a direct diagonal across Harry's back garden, and he had his back turned.

Before Louis was aware of what he was doing, he was sprinting along the tree line and curving around towards the man, darting trees and ignoring the sting of twigs against his feet. He wasn't even trying for stealth, and the man turned just as Louis was approaching at a high speed. Louis didn't focus on his face, didn't pay much attention to the gun that was whipped up in surprise. He collided with the man hard, sending them both tumbling onto the pine needle covered ground and making a shot fire out. Louis gasped as his ears rang, and he waited for the burn of a bullet wound. But instead, the person he had tackled was grabbing him by his shoulders and rolling fast, slamming him into the ground and knocking the wind out of him.

Louis was fast, he could get away if he was being chased. And he was quiet, he could go unseen and unheard if he tried. But he had absolutely no combat skill, so when he squinted up in shock at the larger man pinning him to the cold ground, he went limp.

"What the  _fuck,_ Tomlinson?" he could dimly make out over the ringing in his ears.

Agent Malik. Louis grunted in surprise, "Oh."

"What the hell were you doing?" he bellowed, the grip he held on Louis' shoulders tightening. "You tackled me, you piece of shit, you're lucky I didn't fucking shoot you. I should  _still_ fucking shoot you!"

"I can't-" Louis croaked, shaking his head as he pointed to his ears.

"Answer the question!" Zayn seized Louis' jaw roughly.

"What in the fuck are you doing?" a deep and angry voice roared.

And Louis could definitely hear that, because it was Harry, and Harry sounded pissed. Zayn and Louis looked to Harry in surprise. The man was, much like Louis, barefooted and only in pajamas.

"Harry," Zayn mumbled in surprise.

The curly haired strode forward suddenly, seizing Zayn and hoisting him off Louis before he angrily reached for a confused Louis as well. He froze however, a slightly panicked look crossing his face, "He's hit?! You  _shot_ him?"

"No?!" Zayn croaked. "Did I?"

Louis was still having problems hearing from his left ear, but he shook his head, "No... no I'm alright."

Harry grabbed him then, lifting him to his feet and turning him to look at his grey cotton shirt. The material was torn and slightly bloody, and Louis hissed as Harry's hand brushed over it, "Yeah... that's not a bullet graze, thank God."

"I fell on some twigs?" Louis croaked as an offer.

"What the hell is happening here?" Harry demanded between Zayn and Louis. "I heard a motherfucking  _gun_  shot. Louis, I thought Payne had sent agents anyway and that-"

"No," Louis shook his head, his hand pulling at his ear lobe in hopes of getting his hearing fully working again. It was slowly fading back in, but he could still hear a high ringing. "I didn't get shot... I might be deaf, but-"

"Why did you fire at him?" Harry demanded of Zayn. "Actually, scratch that, why are you  _here?_ "

"I came to check the perimeter," Zayn replied gruffly, crossing his arms. "Louis came running up and fucking tackled me, so maybe you should be interrogating him."

Harry looked to Louis in surprise, "Louis? You... tackled a federal agent?"

Louis shook his head frantically, "No, no I didn't even know it was him until-"

"Liar," Zayn hissed. "Who else has quiffed dark hair?"

"Nick Grimshaw," Louis spat out. "I saw you from a distance with your stupid, ugly scarf hiding most of your face. I just knew you were a man with dark hair. And I remembered Gremlin's dumb-ass threat and I saw you creeping out here in the woods and I thought it was him trying to make his way to Harry's window. I panicked, okay?"

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Harry shook his head in confusion.

"Because you're hurt," Louis admitted sheepishly. "And you don't have a bulletproof vest here, obviously."

"Neither do you!" Harry continued. "You don't even have a gun!"

"Have you forgotten that I'm just a thief who's going to jail in four days  _not_ counting today and the day I go?" Louis sighed. "You're Agent Harry Styles, you're needed, you can't be replaced. None of those things even pertain to me. Besides, you're my friend. You're important. I'm not."

Harry and Zayn were both staring at him in slight appallment, a silence settling over the three. Harry looked to Zayn then, "And you were here because?"

"Because I'm wearing a bulletproof vest, I have a gun, and I was making sure Grimshaw wasn't around," Zayn's eyes flitted onto Louis.

"Sorry for tackling you," Louis muttered, looking at the ground.

"Jesus," Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "Louis go in the house, we left the oven top on. I don't want my house burning down and I need to talk to Zayn in private."

"Sorry," Louis mumbled one last time, and then he was turning and hurrying towards the house.

Harry and Zayn watched him leave before Zayn looked to Harry, "Look-"

"No, you look," Harry interrupted, raising a hand to point at Zayn. "You're just lucky you didn't shoot him. Self defense or not, I- I..."

Zayn arched an eyebrow, "You what, Harry? You like him?"

"Shut the fuck up," Harry hissed, suddenly terrified that Zayn knew him so well. "I can't and you know I-"

"Even Agent Styles can't control who he falls in love with," Zayn's tone was suddenly softened. "That man... the thief, Louis, whatever. He just ran out here barefooted and tackled a gunman to the ground to save  _your_ ass, and you weren't even in danger. So it's safe to say that the feeling is mutual."

"I don't know Zayn, I really don't," Harry huffed. "I'd like to believe it, but I've only officially known him for four and half days. I don't know if he likes me or if he's trying to convince me to let him go. Because if he is, it's working and that scares the shit out of me, I-

"You can't let him go," Zayn told him in a firm but gentle tone.

"I know," Harry nodded. "It won't happen. But I'm going to see to it that he receives a light sentence. Five years tops, nothing more. Preferably not even a year. Community service maybe."

"Where even is the jewellery?"

"In a small tin box with a padlock, tucked under the passenger seat of my Range Rover. The padlock key is in my dresser drawer."

"Interesting safety precautions," Zayn murmured. "But... I'm sorry I've been so... hard on you. On your thief, too."

"He's not my thief," Harry grumbled.

"Bullshit," Zayn declared. "You're shagging him, you nearly had an aneurism because you thought I'd shot him, and then I was fairly certain you were going to kill me when you thought I had. I thought I was one of your closest friends, but you were about to hurt me for hurting Louis. It's clear to see that you're fond of him."

"You are one of my closest friends," Harry crossed his arms as the adrenaline wore off and his abs began to protest from his mad scramble off of his bed and out the front door. He hadn't even stopped to grab his gun, he'd been so panicked. He was terrified that he'd run into the backyard to find a group of agents standing in a circle. He'd approach them, demanding to know what the hell was happening since he'd clearly sent them away the day before. In the middle of the circle they'd formed, Louis would be laying facedown, lifeless. Or even worse, on his back with his pale blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled large enough... they'd be staring up, open but unseeing.

He shuddered at the thought, and Zayn spoke to him loudly, "Hey! Harry! You skipped the part about how you're in love with the thief."

But he refused to acknowledge what Zayn was saying. So yeah, he was fond of Louis. Maybe more than just a little fond. But he wasn't going to let Zayn know, and he was good at ignoring the elephant in the room. "You who should be at the bureau and not snooping around my house and scaring thieves."

"Uh... tell Louis, I'm um... sorry," Zayn scratched at his head awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with apologising to a thief. "For you know... making him scratch his ribs and nearly blowing his ear drum."

"Yeah, well I've got to clear some things over with him as well, so I'll do that," Harry rubbed a hand down his face. "Did you tell Niall?"

"Yeah," Zayn nodded. "He choked on his beer, but then he laughed. Like I expected. He said that it seemed a little weird, but you've never made a wrong decision before, so..."

"That's not true, I literally make wrong decisions all the time," Harry huffed, but then he shook his head. "Right. Well come on. My feet are fucking cold and my abs hurt like a bitch."

Harry and Zayn walked back towards the front of the house where Zayn gave an awkward wave goodbye, walking towards the road to go wherever he had probably hid his vehicle. The door was cracked, and he slipped through it, shutting it behind him. He walked into the kitchen, his feet burning in relief as the usual cold hard wood floor felt warm and soothing. Louis was pouring two cups of tea, his shoulders slumped. The older man turned to look as he entered the kitchen, but almost immediately averted his gaze, "I... here's your tea and painkillers."

"We need to clean your scratch. It looked kind of deep."

"I'm alright," Louis mumbled, pointing to a plate with jam and toast. "I know you wanted pizza. But it's cold out and you weren't wearing shoes or a jacket, so- warm toast."

"You weren't wearing shoes or a jacket either," Harry replied. "I'm going to get the stuff to clean your scratch. You eat the toast while it's still warm."

Louis tried to protest, but Harry simply shook his head and walked away. His mind was still focused on how Louis had told Harry that since Harry was an agent, that he was more necessary. How he had continued on to say that he thought of Harry was a friend and how Harry was important. But the blue-eyed thief found himself  _unimportant._ He shook his head in disbelief as he dug in his bathroom cabinet. He found a large enough bandage to cover the medium sized scratch on Louis' ribs. He grabbed some anti-alcohol disinfectant pads he'd received when he'd received a bullet graze to his arm, and he walked back to Louis.

Much to his relief, Louis had nibbled on the toast, but it was still half-uneaten on a plate. Harry arched a brow at him, and Louis shrugged, "Not hungry anymore."

"Don't get quiet on me again," Harry demanded, motioning for Louis to remove his shirt.

"Sorry," Louis said softly.

"And stop saying that."

"Saying what?" Louis asked in confusion.

"That you're sorry."

"But I am..."

"Well don't be," Harry huffed, a bit more harshly then he wanted, but he didn't like Louis self-depreciating so much.

Louis, on the other hand, was having an inner turmoil with himself. He had tackled a federal agent, Harry was no doubt disappointed despite what he told Louis. Harry examined Louis' shirtless ribs, his face hard. Louis was almost dreading getting his wound clean, almost certain Harry would be rough. But much to his surprise, Harry's touches were feather light as he gently wiped over Louis' scratch. It didn't sting at all, and Harry gently pressed a bandage over it once he'd cleaned it. Louis lifted his arm to look down at his patched up injury before noticing that Harry was staring down at his feet. He'd scratched them up a tad running through the twigs and pine needles.

Silently, Harry dropped down to wipe the bit of blood off of them as well, and Louis murmured, "Sor-"

"Louis," Harry huffed. "Stop apologising."

"I tackled a federal agent."

"And in return he almost shot you," Harry replied back shortly. "I think you've learned not to tackle people before you know who they are."

"You believe me?" Louis asked suddenly, hope coursing through him. Maybe Harry wasn't as angry as he thought.

"Yes."

The thief, examined Harry's face, slightly discouraged to see it closed off still, "But you're angry."

"No."

"Upset?" Louis asked. "With me?"

"Er..." Harry's face finally scrunched as he finished cleaning Louis' scratched feet. "You said some things... that I don't agree with."

"Did you like Zayn's scarf that I called stupid and ugly?" Louis croaked, unable to remember anything opinionated that he had expressed.

Harry gave a surprised chuckle, but then he shook his head, standing and grabbing the rest of the half eaten toast before walking over to take the painkillers Louis had set out for him. He took them with the tea Louis had made, nodding his head, "Good tea."

"Harry... what did you not agree with?"

"You're important."

Louis was taken aback, staring at the agent, searching his face for hints of laughter. But he was serious, his green eyes gazing back at Louis. The thief shook his head slowly, "I..."

"Yes, you are. You're important," Harry insisted, putting his tea down and walking to Louis. He placed a finger on Louis' chest in attempt to seem threatening, but then the finger slid up Louis' neck, formed a hand, and cupped the older man's cheek. "You may be a thief, but you... you're a good person. You wouldn't ever hurt anybody... well... unless you're protecting people you care about. And I mean your sisters, not me. Protecting me is just weird."

"But-"

"I'm kidding," Harry laughed. "You're an idiot for doing that, you could have gotten yourself killed. But um... thanks. For looking out for me, in a way. But if you  _had_ been killed, that would have really sucked. Because like what you said about me, you're my friend, and you're stupid and you made me like having you around so... you're important. And after you get out of this mess you got yourself in, you're going to do a lot of good. I know you will."

"You don't think I'm in this for life?" Louis asked softly.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'll make sure that you're not."

"Um..." Louis blushed. "Thanks? I'm still sorry for tackling Zayn..."

"Don't be," Harry waved a hand. "He deserved it, snooping around here like that. He wanted me to apologise to you as well since he scratched your ribs. How's your ear?"

"I can hear out of it," Louis assured. "How's your abdomen?"

"That's good, and don't worry about my abdomen, I've got pain killers for that," Harry murmured, leaning closer to Louis and brushing their lips together. Louis felt slightly surprised, but he couldn't help but enjoy the sweet taste from the agent's tea that lingered on his lips. Harry pulled back before Louis could deepen the kiss, gently seizing Louis' face in his hands. "And if you ever make me think that you've been shot again, I'll kick your ass. And if you get yourself shot, I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself."

"Aww," Louis cooed. "Was somebody worried?"

Harry grinned as they slipped back into their normal banter, the earlier tension completely gone. He considered objecting, but he figured Louis needed to know, "Yes actually. I was. Very much so."

"Oh..."

"Mhmm," Harry replied. "Who else is going to clean my kitchen?"

"You're an ass."

Harry laughed loudly, pecking Louis' lips once more in attempt to soften the blow, "And like I said earlier... I like having you around, so... and you taste like grape jam."

Louis considered eating grape jam on toast more often as Harry kissed him repeatedly a good three times more, lying to the agent who still _defintely_ tasted like tea, "You taste like ass. Because you  _are_ one."

"You are what you eat," Harry winked, and Louis flushed hotly before Harry helped him up. "Come cuddle in bed with me. We can find you a shirt first, if you'd like."

"That sounds boring," Louis lied.

"I'll read to you from Sherlock Holmes," Harry offered.

"Tempting..." Louis pursed his lips.

"Please?" Harry wrapped his arms around Louis' waist. "We're both cold, we might as well share body heat."

"You've got plenty to administer," Louis admitted, letting Harry lead him down the hall. "I learned that from waking up in a sweat."

"Or you had a heated dream about me," Harry chuckled.

"Not even close," Louis shook his head. "I would never dream of such repulsive things."

"You wound me."

"Good, that was my plan all along."

Harry gave Louis another one of his t-shirts, smirking at how long it was on Louis, and they climbed into the bed, Louis wiggling close to Harry. Harry pulled him into his arms, and Louis willingly cuddled close. He hadn't been aware that he was so cold, but Harry was somehow warm despite the fact that he'd been outside in the same condition as Louis had. Then again, he hadn't rolled around on the cold ground. He stretched his legs, pouting as his toes only reached Harry's ankles, but he tangled their legs together.

Harry let out a loud gasp, "Your feet are fucking freezing, get them off of me!"

"No..." Louis whined. "I'm cold."

Harry wiggled with a pained grunt to grab the Hound of Baskervilles book, and he rolled back over, "Help me hold this book, you fucking ice cube."

"Space heater," Louis laughed, but helped Harry hold the book as Harry read aloud. His voice was deep and very easy to listen to. He had a sort of slow drawl that made you listen just all the more harder so you could catch every word he uttered, and Louis was so fucking gone for him. He found himself focusing on Harry's lips as he read, distracted from what Harry was saying by the beautiful man's features.

"Hey," Harry said suddenly, his eyes moving from where they'd been on the book to look at Louis instead.

Louis jumped slightly, "Yeah?"

Harry laughed. "I've been done with the page for like... fifteen seconds now. I thought I bored you to sleep. So would you please be so kind as to turn the page for me?"

"Mmm, in a second," Louis mumbled, but he stretched forward and attached his lips to Harry's instead. And neither of the two really cared when they didn't immediately return to the reading.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

Hunger eventually forced the two men out from Harry's warm bed. They'd only eaten about half a piece of toast, and Harry was dead set on eating the pizza in the fridge. Louis, however, dragged Harry's comforter off of the bed to drape over his shoulders as he watched the older man put a few slices for the both of them onto a plate to cook in the microwave.   
  
Harry rolled his eyes at Louis, taking in the older boy's disheveled state. His clothes were rumpled and the massive comforter was dragging the floor, wrapped around him tightly. The agent reached forward and tugged lightly at Louis' messy hair, "You're getting my comforter dirty."   
  
"I'm cold," Louis huffed. "You didn't do your job."   
  
"Should I warm you up?" Harry practically purred, stepping forward and sliding his hands down Louis' sides in attempts to find the man's hips, his shape formless beneath the thick blanket.   
  
"In your kitchen?" Louis arched a brow.   
  
"On the table," Harry hummed in agreement, and heat flooded Louis' cheeks.   
  
He forced his nose to scrunch, shaking his head, "Nah, I'm far too classy."   
  
Harry laughed, but he pulled away, kissing Louis' nose, "Okay. We'll go with that."   
  
"Are you insinuating that I'm not classy?" Louis pressed, following Harry a few steps as the man went to look into the microwave. "Would you like to-"   
  
"We've got the strangest friendship," Harry interrupted. "Not just because we're supposed to be enemies, and not just because we've provided each other with an orgasm more than once... but do we ever say anything nice to one another?"   
  
"Sure we do," Louis huffed. "We compliment each other's occupations all the time."   
  
"Other than that," Harry laughed.   
  
"You're beautiful," Louis replied. "There. See? We compliment each other."   
  
"You have a fantastic ass," Harry shot back, winking cheekily at Louis.   
  
"No, that's not fair!" Louis objected, stepping up behind Harry and nonchalantly smacking his bum. "My compliment was somewhat sentimental... you can't just tell me I have a nice ass because your dick thinks so, what does your mind think?"   
  
"My _mind_ thinks..." Harry sighed with an eye-roll. "That you're kind of an idiot but I like you so it makes you even cuter. It sucks because you don't _need_ more help being cute since you have this adorable little button nose, these thin lips that have the best smirk, and your eyes could probably get you whatever you wanted in life because they're such a beautiful shade of blue. I like your fringe, and you're kind of soft everywhere, but you're muscled too and I really like your thighs, I found that out last night."  
  
Louis gaped at Harry, a blush forming on his cheeks, "Okay, so you beat my complimenting..."  
  
"I'm not done," Harry replied, opening the microwave to remove the pizza. "I like how you sing in my shower, and you're probably the stealthiest person I've met, like... you can sneak up on _me_. Should I go on?"  
  
"Please do, this is a good ego booster."  
  
"You're fantastic in bed," Harry told him, carrying the plate to the table. "You make really pretty sounds when you come-"  
  
"Wow, okay," Louis interrupted. "You're making me blush, let's eat some pizza."  
  
"Making you blush or making your dick get hard?" Harry teased.  
  
"Well the blood is all rushing one way in both instances so I'll let you decide which it is," Louis sat down at the table before frowning and standing up. "I want juice. Do you want some juice?"  
  
"Sure," Harry chuckled, sitting down as Louis walked around with kitchen tripping over the long blanket, to grab two cups so he could pour them both juice.  
  
Harry watched him fondly the entire way, chuckling as Louis grumbled to himself when he couldn't unscrew the juice lid. He poured it into both the glass, slid the juice bottle back into the fridge, and handed Harry his juice. Harry grabbed the comforter, however, eliciting a surprised squeak from the older man as he stumbled backwards, and Harry gently reached for Louis' face to guide it towards his own. He brushed their lips together, smiling as they pulled apart, and Louis ran his hand across Harry's stubbly jaw.  
  
"You sir," Louis declared. "Need to shave."  
  
"So do you," Harry shot back. "Kissing you is like kissing a hobo."  
  
"Don't kiss me then."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do."  
  
"I'm not going to let you kiss me," Louis said firmly, marching back to his chair as if he were royalty, the comforter trailing elegantly behind him. "I refuse."  
  
"I'll make you kiss me."  
  
"I'll tell the world that you like cuddling."  
  
"You can use my razor to shave..." Harry offered finally.  
  
Louis shrugged, starting to eat his pizza so a mouthful would give him an excuse not to speak. Harry huffed, taking a savage bite of pizza. The rest of lunch was quiet, and Louis abandoned the comforter when he was finished to wash his plate and cup. He was _planning_ on making Harry wash his own dishes, but he noticed Harry rubbing irritably at his sore abdomen as he stood to gather his dishes, and he sidled over to Harry, "Let me do that... you go sit."  
  
Harry tried to protest, but Louis stood on his tip toes to kiss the agent gently, and then turned to wash the dishes as he left Harry in a flustered state. Harry picked up the comforter before he left, carrying it and draping it over Louis' shoulders as he kissed the back of Louis' neck. Louis shivered despite the warmth of the blanket he'd been given, and Harry walked into the living room with a smug look on his face. Louis joined him once he had finished the dishes, sitting down a cushion away from Harry and snuggling up with the comforter.  
  
The younger man frowned at that, scooting towards Louis and lifting the comforter so he could wiggle under it. He managed to wiggle so that he was behind Louis on the couch, both arms wrapped around him as he spooned the smaller man from behind, "You have full control over the television. My arms aren't moving, you're stuck."  
  
"What if I have to piss?" Louis giggled, much to Harry's heart's dismay.  
  
"I believe you asked that question when you were still handcuffed to my couch," Harry hummed, nipping at Louis' ear lobe and making him squirm.  
  
"I really do have to pee..."  
  
Harry gave a dramatic sigh, releasing Louis from the tight cuddle, "Fine, fine. Leave me here to freeze."  
  
Louis stood and leaned down to kiss Harry, tucking the comforter around that, "You poor baby... how's that? Is that better?"  
  
"Go take your damn piss."  
  
"Well you're giving me mixed signals!" Louis pouted, but he left Harry on the couch. Harry flipped through the channels during Louis' surprisingly long absence, but he found a movie that seemed to be worth watching and settled further back against the couch, his head resting on the arm. When Louis did come back into the room, Harry was startled to find his face baby faced rather than covered with the stubble Louis had earlier been sporting.  
  
"You- you shaved? I thought you were peeing!"  
  
"You said it felt like you were kissing a hobo!" Louis huffed. "So I shaved for you."  
  
"You didn't have to do that..." Harry murmured, letting Louis slide back onto the couch in front of him, wiggling carefully back into the younger man.  
  
"Thank you for telling me that _now,_ " Louis pretended to grumble, but then he craned his neck back and kissed Harry's stubbly chin. "I'm just teasing. I looked like an idiot with facial hair."  
  
"No, no," Harry disagreed. "You had a rugged, criminal look to you... it was suiting."  
  
"You don't even have facial hair on your upper lip," Louis snickered. "You've just got a stubbly chin! Have you not hit puberty?"  
  
"I take what I said back. When you have facial hair it looks like an animal died on you."  
  
Louis giggled, rolling gently in Harry's grip to kiss him again, "Good thing I shaved, then."  
  
The two didn't move from the couch for the rest of the day, they simply continued spooning and watching movies as they bantered back and forth occasionally. Harry knew that spooning and kissing wasn't something friends did, wasn't even something that friends with _benefits_ necessarily did. He knew friends with benefits were more on a shag and go level, no strings attached. But with Louis, he just wanted to hold the smaller man and kiss his cheeks, his nose, his eyelids... wanted to make Louis laugh and try to squirm away only to wiggle back so they could kiss some more. But it wasn't romantic. Harry couldn't think of it as romantic, Louis had to _leave_ Wednesday. He had to. And Harry was already cringing at the thought of the sweet lad in prison.  
  
"Earth to Styles," Louis's voice huffed, and Harry felt a pinch to his nipple.  
  
"Ass," he grumbled, rubbing at the sore nub. "What?"  
  
"Are you hungry?" Louis chuckled, his hand petting the younger lad's cheek in apology.  
  
"Maybe a little..." Harry murmured. "Eggs in toast? I could go for some eggs in toast. With cheese maybe? Will you put cheese on mine?"  
  
"Wow, okay, now you're pushing it too far," Louis protested. "You're using me."  
  
"Half a slice of cheese."  
  
"That's better," Louis replied.  
  
But when he made the eggs in toast and Harry sat at the kitchen table, the agent definitely watched Louis put two whole slices on Harry's two pieces. Louis made them both tea instead of them drinking juice again, and rather than sitting across from Harry, he sat beside the younger man. Harry lifted his eyebrows at Louis' close proximity, "Ew. You smell."  
  
"How old are you?" Louis rolled his eyes.  
  
"Twenty-two," Harry replied cheekily.  
  
"That's not what I meant," Louis grumbled. "You're more like... five. When you aren't being Agent Styles, you're like... five years old."  
  
"More like... when I'm around you," Harry admitted. "I don't... act like this around Zayn and Niall. Maybe my mum and sister, kind of... but with Zayn and Niall I'm a bit more professional. I like to have a laugh and we'll goof around sometimes, but... I don't think I argue with them as much as I argue with you."  
  
"It's the sexual tension, it does that to us," Louis shrugged, putting a bit of pepper on his eggs in toast. Harry stretched over and kissed Louis' cheek softly before he went back to eating his food. Louis could get used to pointless kisses at random times.  
  
After dinner, Harry took more painkillers and helped Louis dry the dishes, stretching as he did so, "My abdomen doesn't hurt like... at all right now."  
  
"That's good," Louis nodded in approval.  
  
"Mhmm..." Harry agreed, setting his dishes down and sliding behind Louis to pull the dishes from Louis' hands, placing them back into the sink. "Come lay in bed with me?"  
  
"I need to finish these and shower," Louis tried to disagree, swallowing hard. But in all honesty he wanted to bolt to Harry's bedroom, he just couldn't let _Harry_ know that.  
  
"Don't make me cuff you this time," Harry mumbled. "I'm going to let you have access to your hands tonight."  
  
"Okay..." Louis breathed.  
  
" _Or_ we could just go with my plan from earlier... the kitchen table is cleared off enough. But you're too classy for that, right?"  
  
"Your bed is soft," Louis croaked. "And we don't want to break your table, do we?"  
  
"I think it'd be hot," Harry purred into Louis' ear.  
  
Louis grabbed Harry's hand then, leading the man to grab the comforter from the couch before they rushed to his room. Louis was stripping the moment he had pulled Harry into the bedroom and shut the door, and Harry was chuckling at him as Louis glared, "If you're planning on doing something, then stop laughing and start stripping."  
  
"I thought I made it clear last time that I was in charge?" Harry tsked, walking up to Louis and stopping him from removing his boxers. He gently pushed Louis onto his back on the bed, sliding up his body and pushing their clothed groins together. He felt his air leave him in a whoosh, and Louis' breath hitched as his hands flew to grab Harry's bum and his hips bucked up.  
  
"You are-" Louis croaked. "Can I take off my boxers? Please?"  
  
Harry ground down again, shivering in pleasure before shrugging, "Maybe... we'll see. Give me a few more minutes."  
  
Louis whined at that, but he went completely pliant as Harry rutted against him. Much to Louis' relief, the younger boy finally climbed from Louis' waist, pulling his pants down and dropping to pull Louis' hardening dick into his mouth. Louis could have cried in relief, "Oh fuck-"  
  
"So needy for it," Harry murmured as he removed his mouth, using his hand to stroke Louis instead.  
  
"Your clothes, Harry," Louis grumbled, sitting up in determination and moving to strip Harry of the rest of his clothing. The agent allowed Louis to take his clothing off, grinning a bit at the look of pride Louis wore once Harry was naked. Harry placed a palm flat on Louis' chest, giving a light shove to the boy and sending him toppling back down.  
  
"Turn... lay on the bed with your body propped against the pillows," he instructed. "There you go."  
  
"And you're sure your abdomens alright?" Louis swallowed hard, his hand inching down his stomach to stroke his dick.  
  
Harry gently smacked his hand away, "Don't touch! And yes. It's fine."  
  
He dug in his drawer to find the lube and a condom before he climbed on the bed between Louis' legs. Louis' eyes flickered hungrily over Harry, and he suddenly sat up again to reach for Harry's dick, "I haven't- you deserved to be touched, too-"  
  
Harry grunted in surprise, wanting more than anything for Louis to tug him off, but he pulled Louis' hand away and placed it back on the bed, "I'd rather work myself up and then push inside of you... if I haven't been touched, it's one of the greatest feelings to finally just..."  
  
Louis had begun to slyly stroke himself again, and Harry grabbed his wrists to force them onto the bed with a stern look. Louis offered Harry a grin, "Sorry...?"  
  
"I might have to punish you... what if I rimmed you and made you cry again?" he asked.  
  
Louis' eyes widened, "No, no! I want to you to fuck me, please, I-"  
  
"Very well," Harry smirked, flicking open the cap of the lube with a snick and drizzling some onto his fingers. "How many do you think you can take?"  
  
"You can do two," Louis said softly. "I think..."  
  
"I'll start with one," Harry shook his head. "Don't want to risk hurting you."  
  
Louis wanted to thank Harry for his sweetness, but then Harry's finger was pushing inside him and crooking up, and it _definitely_ didn't hurt, and Louis may or may not have forgotten how to breathe for a few moments. Harry's free hand lifted to tug him off, and Louis had to push it away so he wouldn't come. Harry could get him worked up _so fast_.  
  
By the time Harry had three fingers pumping in and out of Louis, Louis was babbling aimlessly, "Shit, shit, shit- oh, fuck, there! Just keep... _Jesus,_ oh God-"  
  
Harry gave a throaty chuckle, lightly scratching at the soft skin of Louis' thighs and drawing a wail from the older man. He leaned down and bit lightly at a mark that was left from the night before, and Louis' hips arched off the bed before he hissed in slight pain and sank bank down. Harry pulled his fingers out in an instant, feeling concern spike through him, "I- did I hurt you? Shit, I'm sorry, I-"  
  
Louis shook his head, his sweaty fringe flopping, "No, I stretched the cut on my side and it stung. Is it weird that I might have liked it a little, though?"  
  
"Kinky," Harry growled lowly, leaning and attaching his lips to Louis' in a heated kiss. He was somewhat surprised that there hadn't been more kisses shared since they were usually kissing each other without even having a reason. But Louis' hands came to fist into Harry's curls, and in return Harry slid his hands up to stroke at Louis' sweat dampened hair, wincing as he realised what he'd just done. "I got some lube in your hair..."  
  
"You can wash it out after you fuck me," Louis huffed. "Now just- get inside me, damn it."  
  
"This isn't porn, Louis," Harry spluttered. "You can't just say things like that."  
  
"Do they turn you on?" Louis asked breathlessly, gazing at Harry with hooded eyes as Harry ripped open the condom package, rolled it down his length, and poured some lube into his hand to slick himself up.  
  
Harry shivered, "No..."  
  
"Get inside me," Louis purred again. "I want to come from just your dick-"  
  
Harry growled, darting forward to kiss Louis quiet, because _of course_ Louis' words were turning him on. Louis himself was just one massive turn on for Harry and it drove the agent mad. He pulled back to glance down between their bodies, reaching between them so he could align himself at Louis' entrance. Louis splayed his legs open wider for Harry, giving him a smirk as Harry looked to him in disbelief, "You're just _begging_ for it..."  
  
"I learned to do that before I got into the thieving business," Louis replied. "It really brought in the money."  
  
Harry had only just started to inch his hips forward to push in, but then he stopped, "I'm pretty sure you make a prostitution joke _every time_ we do something like this... you've never really... please tell me you haven't-"  
  
" _No,_ Harry," Louis rolled his eyes, wrapping his legs around Harry's waist to try and push the boy inside. "Thieving is the only crime I've done, and you're like... only the third boy I've let fuck me. So."  
  
"The _third?_ "  
  
"Don't give me that bullshit, we're not even together," Louis whined. "You're killing the vibe-"  
  
And with that, Harry sank into the older lad, cutting Louis off as Louis grunted in surprise. Harry smirked as he inched his way inside, loving that he was able to look at Louis' facial expressions this time. Louis' mouth had fallen open slightly, his eyes glazing over. Harry hadn't even started moving yet but Louis looked like he was in ecstasy. The man whimpered as Harry bottomed out, and Harry shook his head in awe, his voice hoarse with pleasure as he croaked, "You love this, don't you?"  
  
"Harry-"  
  
"I've got you," Harry soothed, stroking Louis' hair and grinding his hips gently into the older lad. Louis whined high in his throat, and Harry couldn't stop his own moan from escaping.  
  
"I- I like it kind of hard," Louis wheezed, his heels digging into the small of Harry's back as his arms wrapped around Harry.  
  
"I like it slow," Harry teased, dragging his hips out at an agonizing pace before he slowly pushed back in. Louis writhed beneath him, scrabbling at Harry's back. Harry attached his lips to Louis' neck, nipping the soft skin and grunting as he gave a particular sharp buck of his hips. Louis cried out, so Harry figured the angle had done _something_ for him. He shifted up slightly to try and get that angle again for the man beneath him, but Louis only clung tighter.  
  
He hadn't even been inside Louis for a total of three minutes, but he was already so close to the edge that he was hating himself. He wanted to stay inside Louis forever, watch the man as he pleasured him past the point of sanity. Harry figured he was already pretty damn close to doing so.  
  
Louis craned his head up with a whimper, trying to press his lips to Harry's but missing due to the rock of their bodies. Harry accommodated his wishes, attaching their lips in a gentle kiss as he moved an arm from where he held himself up to stroke at Louis' hair. Louis was trying to roll his hips down to meet the rocking of Harry's, and Harry sped up, going a bit harder like Louis had said he liked.  
  
The thief grunted, his hands moving from Harry's back, to the pull at the sheets, to pull at Harry's hair, and then back to Louis' back, "Oh f-fuck, oh God-"  
  
"You make the best noises," Harry grunted into Louis' ear.  
  
Louis gasped sharply, arching beneath Harry as he spurted all over his chest. Harry was startled at the man's sudden orgasm, and he could tell that Louis was surprised as well. His face had scrunched up beautifully, his mouth open as a high whine left his throat, but then he slumped back down onto the mattress with a breathy, "Oh..."  
  
"You just-" Harry spluttered. "You-"  
  
"I came early..." Louis groaned breathlessly. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Was that because I... I told you that you make the best noises?" Harry squeaked.  
  
"Well you didn't touch my dick, so I think so..." Louis examined Harry's face carefully.  
  
"That's so fucking hot," Harry breathed, and then he was gathering Louis up better in his grasp and pounding into him. Louis made a noise of surprise, but he went limp for Harry, occasionally clenching and unclenching around Harry's dick despite the sensitivity to push the younger man over the edge.  
  
Harry spilled inside the condom with a strangled whimper of, "Shit, Louis..."  
  
He slumped on top of Louis, panting into his neck as Louis petted his back soothingly. As soon as Harry was breathing properly, and Louis had begun to squirm in discomfort as Harry softened inside him, Harry pulled out and tugged off the condom. He tied it and tossed it into the trash, rolling off the bed and holding his hand out to Louis as he looked down at the mess Louis had made between them.  
  
"Shower?" Louis asked hopefully.  
  
"Mhmm," Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
"You still have to wash the lube out of my hair, you wanker," Louis huffed, rolling into a sitting position. His nose scrunched. "You kind of roughed me up there at the end."  
  
"Sorry..." Harry murmured, but Louis shrugged and stood.  
  
The smaller man's knees buckled a bit, but he caught himself and waddled past Harry to the bathroom. Harry smiled to himself, proud that he'd given it to Louis decently again. Like Harry had promised, he washed the lube from Louis' hair. He carefully washed over Louis' wound on his ribs when the bandage fell off, and he may or may not have pushed Louis against the shower wall to kiss him a little before they washed Harry's hair.  
  
"Should I shave?" Harry asked as they climbed out of the shower, and he dried of Louis' wound to bandage it again. "I usually shave every two days, but it's been like... six."  
  
"You can if you want, I don't mind," Louis shrugged. "It hurts my face but I like it on my thighs."  
  
"You- oh."  
  
Louis walked proudly from the room, calling back, "But your mouth is still just as good without the stubble, so I say go ahead and shave."  
  
So Harry shaved while Louis stripped the bed for the second time that week, putting on fresh sheets that he snooped around and found in Harry's closet. He also stole one of Harry's soft jumpers and pajama bottoms, playing with the longer sleeves a bit before he finally went to see what Harry was up to. The agent was washing the remainder of shaving cream from his face and dabbing his face with a towel as he looked to the older man, "I shaved..."  
  
"Handsome," Louis acknowledge. "Now for the real test."  
  
Louis stepped forward and kissed Harry softly, pursing his lips before he rubbed their faces together. Harry laughed, pushing Louis away gently, "You're fucking weird."  
  
Louis pouted, but Harry tapped underneath his chin gently, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down the hall to the bedroom. He dressed himself and flipped out the lights before they were even in bed, leading Louis through the dark so they could cuddle in the bed together. Louis once again slipped his feet up next to Harry's ankles, snickering, "Cold, huh?"  
  
"Bastard," Harry grumbled.  
  
"It's what you get for calling me weird," Louis shot back.  
  
"But you are weird."  
  
Louis pushed his cold hands up and under the shirt Harry wore, softly placing them against Harry's sore stomach, "Oh really?"  
  
"Ooh..." Harry sighed. "That actually feels nice. Leave those there?"  
  
"Sure," Louis left his hands there, snuggling a bit closer in hopes that Harry would wrap his long arms around him. He did. Louis sighed contentedly, closing his eyes and relaxing in Harry's grip. It was quiet for several minutes, and then Louis felt lips against his head.  
  
"Louis?" Harry's voice whispered in the darkness, and Louis didn't respond, pretending to be asleep so Harry would maybe kiss him again. Harry seemed to relax a bit, but then he sighed, whispering even quieter. "I think I'm in love with you..."  
  
Louis didn't open his eyes, but a lump formed in his throat as he almost remained silent. But he pushed all his cares away, croaking out, "I think I'm in love with you, too."  
  
Harry jumped in surprise, his arms going stiff around Louis, and Louis winced, instantly regretting his decision. Because he was fairly certain he'd just freaked out Harry, and now Harry was going to push him away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

 

 

* * *

 

Louis felt Harry's arms unwind from around him, and the younger man rolled up and away from Louis, "You're awake... shit. Shit, shit, shit-"

The thief's heart sank, and he rolled over to turn his back to Harry, not wanting to watch as Harry ran his hands over his face. He hoped that if he squinted his eyes tight enough he could go back a few moments, simply go to sleep rather than responding to Harry. But he didn't want to sit and wait for Harry to kick him out of the room, so instead, he sat up, keeping his back to Harry as he sat on the edge of the bed, "I'll just... I'll go sleep on the couch.

"No, wait-" Harry protested, and Louis felt fingers brush his elbow. "You don't have to... you can still... "

"No, I clearly wasn't intended to hear that, so-"

"You weren't. But you said it back..." Harry whispered.

"Because it's true, I couldn't just _not_ say it," Louis moved his legs back on the bed to finally look at Harry. Harry had moved closer, and Louis could barely make out his face in the darkness. It wasn't closed off like he expected, the agent just looked distressed.

"Mine was true, too..." Harry insisted, reaching for Louis again. Louis cringed away slightly, but Harry continued to stretch out for him. "Louis... I think I'm in love with you."

"You're not freaked out?" Louis asked softly.

Harry shook his head instantly, opening his arms hesitantly for Louis to cuddle back into. The older man hesitantly scooted back into Harry's grasp, and Harry hugged him tightly as he moved them both back to lay down, "I... I think I just need to let it sink in a little. We can sleep on it?"

"But Harry, I think we should talk about-"

Harry pressed a kiss to Louis' lips, "I'm fairly certain that I'm in love with you. You're stupid and you're funny, you're cute... and I didn't mean for it to happen, honestly, I was just going to let you do whatever the hell you need to do Sunday because you saved my life. I was supposed to be professional, but then again if I was professional you would probably be in jail by now but-"

"Harry you-"

"Hold on, love," Harry placed his thumb on Louis' lips, cupping his face. "But now we're in some deep shit because on Wednesday what am I supposed to do? If I really am falling in love with you, I mean. It's already bothering me, the thought of taking you in. I'd have Zayn do it but I need to negotiate with them myself, I need them to let you off easy. Because... because I really do think that I love you."

"I think I've loved you ever since you threatened me on live television," Louis mumbled around Harry's thumb, and the agent moved it to kiss him again. "So how long do you think I'll be in prison?"

"I don't want you to have to go to prison..." Harry huffed. "Preferably house arrest. But in my house. And community service?"

"Is that even possible?" Louis arched a brow.

"I don't know," Harry huffed miserably.

Louis snuggled closer, reassuring the agent even though _he himself_ was the one going to prison in the first place, "To be honest I was planning on escaping you... the second I knew where you put the jewellery? I was going to get on your good side and then make a run for it. But then you got on my good side too and now we're both kind of in some deep shit, huh?"

Harry buried his face into Louis' neck, "I hate myself."

"I like you," Louis soothed, wrapping an arm around Harry to stroke at his back. "I'm kind of in love with you, remember?"

"I'm kind of in love with you, too," Harry sighed.

"Don't sound too excited about it," Louis huffed.

"I'm excited... because you feel the same. But I'm also upset, because Wednesday..." Harry trailed off.

"It's only Friday- just kidding, its 12:04am, so it's Saturday, but-"

Harry simply cuddled Louis almost impossibly tight, "No. It's Friday. That clock is fast or something."

"Go to sleep," Louis sighed, kissing Harry's chin. "We can discuss this more tomorrow like you said. I've heard enough from you tonight to know that you won't give me the cold shoulder."

"I can't exactly give you the cold shoulder since I announced my feelings first..." Harry said softly.

" _Harry_ ," Louis gently covered the agent's mouth. "I mean this lovingly, but go the fuck to sleep."

"Right, right..." he nodded, closing his eyes and almost instantly falling into a restless sleep, dreaming about Wednesday.

The next morning, he awoke still snuggling Louis tightly. The thief's hair was in a messy disarray, his lips softly parted, and he was snoring adorably. Harry grinned, moving his head just in the slightest to kiss Louis' forehead. He placed his hand gently over where his lips had been, smoothing back the man's hair, and Louis stirred slightly, shivering and squirming closer. His curled up knee bumped Harry's crotch, and a surprised grunt escaped the agent.

Louis' eyes fluttered open slowly, "What're y'doin?"

"Admiring," Harry hummed, kissing Louis' nose. "Come in the bathroom with me? I want to brush my teeth so I can kiss you properly without the morning breath."

Louis wiggled a bit, stretching with a large yawn, "How's your abdomen?"

"It feels much better than your knee to the crotch did."

The thief's nose scrunched, "I kneed you in the... sorry..."

Harry simply chuckled, sitting up and climbing from the bed as he offered a hand out to Louis insistently. Louis gave a grumble of protest, but he rolled up and off the bed after Harry, crossing his arms in a pout. Harry shrugged, dropping his offered hand and proudly walked to the bathroom with Louis trailing behind. They brushed their teeth in silence, standing side by side, but then Harry battled Louis for the sink when he went to spit.

He managed to hip bump the smaller man out of the way, spitting in the sink and then pulling up to shoot a smug grin at Louis. The thief was giving him a look of disbelief, but he spit in the sink as Harry laughed, "Just remember last night before you try to hurt me... we're in love, yeah?"

"I'm too kind to hurt the crippled federal agent," Louis grumbled after he'd spit into the sink and flipped on the water. "But you nearly ended up with curls full of used toothpaste."

"But I can kiss you and it'll be minty fresh now," Harry told him.

"Ew, no."

Harry caught Louis' elbow before the older man could walk from the room, pulling him so that they were chest to chest. He lowered his head down to bump Louis' nose, the button nose that he adored, with his own, "Not even one little kiss?"

"No."

"Who's giving who the cold shoulder now?" Harry pouted. "You said you were in love with me!"

"I said I _might_ be in love with you," Louis scoffed, but then he tilted his head back to brush his lips against Harry's. Harry grinned triumphantly, and Louis nodded. "Definitely in love with you."

"In love with me enough to make me some eggs?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Surely you'd realize by now that's one of the only things I _can_ cook?" Louis laughed. "Toast and frozen pizza are kind of a given, but try to have me make something else and I'll kill anyone that eats my meal. I can't even make macaroni right."

"I'll make the tea," Harry offered. "Eggs?"

"Fine, fine," Louis sighed. "But only because you're cute."

Louis twisted from Harry's grip and darted down the hallway before Harry could respond, and Harry marched after him, "Just a damn second, Tomlinson. I am not _cute_. I'm handsome."

"You're cute," Louis giggled, and Harry had to fight back a smile.

"No, _you're_ cute. I'm handsome. I'm a federal agent, I can't be cute."

"But you're _so cute_ ," Louis insisted, walking over to Harry and reaching up to pinch gently at Harry's cheeks, thumbing at the dimples that formed when he pushed Harry's cheeks up. "Your face, your curls-"

Harry glared down at Louis, and Louis grinned larger, standing on his toes to kiss Harry's firmly pressed lips. The agent finally cracked, grinning as he pulled Louis' hands down from his face and wound them around his back, practically making Louis hug him, "If you were anyone else you would have gotten your hands chopped off."

"What if I'd done that when I came here Monday?"

"You would have gotten your hands chopped off and you would have been shot in both feet," Harry responded. "But I like you now?"

"You love me now..."

"I love you now."

Louis beamed, squirming away from Harry to retrieve the egg carton from the refrigerator, "Oh... there's only three left. You can have all of them if you'd like since you don't want them in toast, and I can just-"

"Or we can each have one and we'll split the third," Harry corrected.

Louis shrugged, "They're your eggs..."

"We're each eating one and we're splitting the third, then," Harry declared, stepping around Louis and turning up the burner Louis didn't have a pan on. He then grabbed the kettle, filled it with enough water for the two of them, and placed it onto the burner. He stood next to Louis to watch him drop a bit of butter into the pan before he cracked two eggs into it. Quickly, he stole a kiss on Louis' cheek and moved his hand away from where his fingertips were sliding across the warm stove top towards the kettle. "Don't burn yourself, babe."

Louis scoffed, "Burn myself..."

"You've done it before, it's going to happen again," Harry laughed.

"Unless I end up in prison for the rest of my life."

Harry froze, his hand gripping a bit tighter on where it covered Louis', "Don't say that... I'm going to do everything I can to get your prosecution over with so you can come back here with me."

"Who says I want to come back here with _you_?" Louis made a disgusted face.

"You're mean this morning."

"You hip checked me into a wall so you could use the bathroom sink first!" Louis laughed. "Who's the mean one now?"

"Still you, sassy pants," Harry swatted Louis' bum, trying to dart away before he grunted in surprise and clutched his abdomen. "Whoops... forgot I was still hurt."

"You dolt-" Louis turned away from the eggs to go to Harry's aid, but Harry waved him off.

"I can get my own medicine, don't let our only eggs burn!" he insisted.

Louis frowned, but turned his attention back to their cooking eggs. Harry had sidled back up to watch him by the time the eggs were done, sliding Louis two plates and a spatula. Louis carefully slid the eggs onto the plate before he grinned, "I didn't break the yolks!"

"Well done, Tomlinson," Harry praised. "A year of crawling stealthily through air vents has given you quite the gracefulness.

Louis gave a slight yelp, bringing his finger up to suck at it, "Damn..."

"I take that back," Harry sighed, pulling Louis' finger towards himself so he could look at it. "I think you're going to live though..."

Harry placed a gentle kiss to the sore fingertip, and Louis gave a half grin, "Oh yes, kisses solve everything. It feels _so_ much better."

"Just hold it against your feet, they're like ice," Harry suggested, taking the last egg from Louis so he could make it.

"That's so unsanitary," he huffed. "Give me back the egg, I want to crack it."

"Oops," Harry declared, spooning a bit more butter into the pan and tapping the egg on the counter top.

"You son of a bitch!" Louis pouted. "That was my job. You took my job."

"Look how perfect that looks!" Harry pointed.

"No, fuck you," Louis turned his back to Harry and the stove. "That's the ugliest egg I've ever seen in my life. Like you."

"I'm not an egg."

"You have an egg head."

"I do not!" Harry laughed.

"My apologies," Louis nodded. "You look more like a frog."

Harry grinned largely, thinking about how he could _definitely_ do this with Louis every morning and die a happy man. But then he remembered that on Wednesday, the playful banter would have to come to an end. He probably wouldn't even get to _see_ Louis for a while.

"Hey..." he felt a hand on his elbow, felt Louis pressing slightly against his side. "You're not really mad, right? You don't have an egg head... and you don't _really_ look like a frog... if you do it's a really cute frog-"

"M'not mad," Harry hummed, turning and kissing Louis' temple. "And I'm not cute! I was just thinking."

"About how your egg sucks?"

"No," Harry chuckled. "No, I... I was thinking about Wednesday."

"Oh."

"Mhmm..."

"Well don't," Louis finally said simply. "Don't think about it. When Wednesday comes I'll go... probably sit in a cell for a few days, weeks... months maybe... until they decide what to do with me. And then I'll probably sit in the cell longer."

"You're making me think about it," Harry mumbled, but then the kettle began to whistle, and Louis took it off of the burner and flicked off the heat, stepping around Harry to make their cups of tea.

Harry took the egg from the pan, putting it onto Louis' plate and placing a fork on the edge before he sat both plates on the table. He retrieved Louis another frozen bag of peas for his finger, and then he checked on Louis' tea making process. Louis offered Harry the cup, and Harry thanked him quietly before going to sit down.

Louis followed, sitting down next to him like he'd done the day before, and frowned at his plate, "We're sharing this one, why is it on my plate?"

"You can have it if you'd like, I'm not very... hungry anymore."

The thief frowned at Harry for a bit, watching him poke his fork at the white of his egg. He finally stretched out his hand to touch Harry's, "Harry... you've put plenty of people in prison before..."

"Those plenty of people weren't _you_ ," Harry sighed.

"C'mon, you've only known me for five days, surely you can-"

" _Technically_ I've known you for over a year," Harry corrected. "I have every good reason to get attached to you."

"I know," Louis pulled smugly at his shirt collar. "I'm pretty high in demand. Everyone is attached to me."

Harry laughed loudly, playfully batting Louis' hand off of his arm, "See! That's the kind of stuff I'm going to miss. Your... sass. Your ability to _always_ find a way to challenge me. You push me to my last nerve, and with anyone else I'd punch them, but with you I just... I love it. How did I fall in love with one of England's most wanted?"

"I guess you could say I turned into the one Agent Styles... wanted most?" Louis wiggled his eyebrows at Harry.

"You're so stupid," Harry rolled his eyes fondly, but he stretched across the table and gave Louis a soft kiss.

"I thought that was pretty good," Louis pouted.

"Are you still going to share that egg with me?" Harry reached out with his fork, and Louis shielded his plate.

"You haven't even eaten your own egg! This is mine!"

"You haven't eaten your egg either!" Harry flung his arms out in disbelief.

Louis savagely began to eat his egg, trying to eat it as fast as he could so he could move on to the next egg... only to eat half of it and share the rest with the agent who was laughing too hard to even start eating. After breakfast, Harry washed the dishes while Louis dried, and then they cuddled up on the couch like usual to watch TV. However, Harry's phone rang from back in the bedroom, and he sighed, "I forgot to grab that..."  He left Louis seated on the couch to retrieve his phone, answering it with a, "Styles."

"Harry... hi..." Niall's voice sounded, his Irish voice hesitant.

"Hi?" Harry said confusedly. "Everything alright? There aren't agents coming to my house again, are there?"

"No, no!" Niall assured. "Zayn and I were just wondering... would you be opposed to having dinner guests?"

"You and Zayn?" I asked in surprise. "You want to come over for dinner?"

"Well it's Saturday..." Niall pointed out. "We're always together for dinner on Saturdays. Why break tradition?"

"Because Zayn is either pulling Louis' hair, slamming him into walls, or trying to shoot him."

"We'll be civilized!" Niall promised quickly. "We'll treat him just like one of us. Will you make me pasta?"

"Niall," Harry sighed. "That means I have to go to the store, and-"

"You've been holed up in your house, come out for a bit... give Louis some space."

"You're a dirty bastard," Harry groaned in defeat. "Fine. Be here at 7pm?"

"Deal! Thanks, Harry! I miss seeing you, man..." Niall admitted.

"Don't get sentimental on me, mate," Harry laughed. "But I miss picking on you, so."

"See you at 7pm!"

The call ended, and Harry tossed his phone onto the bed before stripping out of his pajamas to change into new clothes. He was digging through his jeans drawer when he felt hands wrap gently around his chest, and he gasped in surprise.

"Hi," Louis giggled.

"Shit, Louis," Harry gave breathy laugh. "How do you do that?"

"Stealth," Louis declared triumphantly. "What are you doing?"

"Going shopping to get pasta ingredients," Harry sighed. "Niall and Zayn are coming over... is that alright?"

"It's your house..." Louis shrugged. "Zayn likes to toss me around, but-"

"They won't treat you like that," Harry promised. "They'll be civilized this time."

"So you're going shopping?" Louis continued. "Can...I come?"

Harry turned around to look at him in disbelief, "Do you have a death wish? Do you want me to get _fired_?"

"I can wear a disguise!" Louis whined. "Sunglasses, a beanie, a really fluffy coat-"

"No."

"But Harry I've been cooped up in here for so long!" Louis pleaded.

"You were just outside yesterday," Harry disagreed. "You can't come with me."

Louis sat down on the bed with a pout, watching Harry dress himself. He tried to make himself as miserable as possible, slouching his shoulders and frowning, "But... I don't want to be here all by myself..."

"Sorry."

Louis nearly huffed, but he had to keep up his act. He hunched over even more, whining a bit more, "Harry..."

"No, Louis," Harry sighed. "You can't come."

"You have to let go out tomorrow so I can do what I need to do, why not let me out today, too?" Louis begged.

"Because tomorrow I have a feeling we're not going _grocery_ shopping," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Harry, if I can book hotels at night under the names of random celebrities, then I can go to a mother fucking Tesco's with you."

"Why do you even want to go?" Harry finally asked, tugging a shirt gently onto his torso and wincing a bit.

"I just... I like being with you," Louis shrugged, and then he realised what would _definitely_ win Harry over. "And Wednesday I won't get to be with you anymore..."

"Damn it," Harry ran his hands over his face, but then crossed his arms and glared at Louis. "Find bulky clothes. Wear a hat... sunglasses... I think I've got a coat you can borrow. Don't _ever_ look directly at anyone, alright? Always pretend to be looking at the food shelves or something."

"I know, Harry, I've been out in public as thief before," Louis giggled. "I once watched you at a scene of my own robbery."

"Fucker."

"You love me."

"Unfortunately."

Louis got dressed as Harry pocketed his phone and went to find Louis a coat and a beanie to wear, and then he grabbed his keys and wallet and ushered Louis out the door and to his Range Rover. He made Louis climb into the tinted back, and Louis protested, "But why?"

"In case people recognize me..." he explained softly.  "I don't want them noticing you, too."

"Embarrassed to be with me," Louis pouted.

"No, terrified that this is going to be a horrible mistake," Harry corrected.

Once they'd reached Tesco's, Harry grabbed Louis' hand tightly and led him around the store, his head down low so that they wouldn't attract _too_ much attention. However, he realized that the hand holding was drawing stares, so he almost immediately dropped Louis' hand.

"For pasta, don't you need _noodles?"_ Louis asked skeptically, looking at the recipe Harry had pulled up on his phone.

"Are they not on there?" Harry asked.

"Just kidding, I'm blind."

Harry shook his head fondly, leading Louis around and chuckling as Louis would wave Harry aside so he could grab the items, along with a few other things he figured they could eat for the rest of Louis' stay. One of those items including more eggs. The noodles, however, were on the top shelf, and Louis had to stretch on his tip toes to reach.

"Babe... just let-"

"No!" Louis protested. "I can do it."

Harry glanced around, making sure they were alone in the aisles before he gently grabbed Louis under his arms, mindful of Louis' cut ribs, and lifted up. Harry's abdomen tightened and sent pain shooting through him, but he grunted and ignored it. Louis grabbed the noodles, however, and Harry let him back down to his feet with a slight wheeze, "I'll be really glad when my abdomen heals."

"Idiot!" Louis gasped suddenly. "Why'd you pick me up, you're hurt!"

"Shh," Harry soothed, glancing around again. "Keep your voice down, love... I'm fine. Let's just check out now, alright? I'm getting more and more anxious the longer we're here."

Much to Harry's surprise, the cashier didn't even spare them a glance. He simply scanned and bagged their items, Harry paid, and they were out of Tesco's and walking through the car park. Harry let Louis sit up front for the ride home, and Louis happily held the agent's hand. As they drove, Louis pointed to a large building.

"That's the hotel I last stayed at before I came to you," he declared, but froze when he saw a familiar looking man on the street.

"I can't believe you just... stayed in hotels like it was no big deal."

Louis shrugged. "It really wasn't a big deal. The cheap ones didn't really care, and I needed cheap stays because I don't really like any of the money going towards me. I said that none of the money did, but I do spend some of it on hotels and sometimes cheap food if I can't snag some from the hotels."

"And tomorrow you'll finally show me where the money goes?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Louis agreed. "It'd be easier just to show you rather than tell you."

"I guess I can wait."

When they returned back to Harry's, they put the groceries away and still had two hours or so until they needed to start on dinner. They resumed snuggling on the couch, where they may or may not have exchanged quick hand jobs with their pants around their ankles and their shirts pushed up to their necks, but then they washed their hands in the kitchen and started following the recipe that Harry's phone provided them. Louis boiled water for the noodles, Harry used the tomatoes and spices to make the sauce, and they both buttered bread to toast in the oven.

Harry pushed Louis against the cabinets while they waited for the sauce to boil and the noodles to cook, and he kissed him senseless. They finished their meal at 6:45, and they nearly burnt the garlic bread when Harry had smacked Louis' ass with a dishtowel and Louis had turned around to glare only to be kissed once more.

Niall and Zayn didn't even announce that they were on their way, they simply showed up at Harry's and strode in through the front door. Niall bellowed out, "FBI!"

It made Louis startle, but Harry instantly recognized his Irish voice, "Niall Horan, in this house we are not agents and we are not criminals."

Niall laughed as he walked in, waving to Louis, "Harry, Louis. How's it going?"

Zayn stepped in behind him, giving a small, awkward wave, "Hi."

"They don't bite, Zayn," Niall chuckled, but then he strode forward towards Louis, sending the smaller man leaning backwards into Harry in surprise. Niall's pale finger gently poked at a love bite on Louis' neck. "Just kidding. Harry bites."

"Oh God," Zayn groaned.

Louis laughed then, clearly relaxing despite Niall's close proximity. Harry gently rubbed the small of Louis' back, hoping the other agent's didn't catch it, but Niall automatically declared, "You were right Zayn. They're in love."

"We're in some deep shit, huh?" Harry sighed, looking fondly to Louis. "I won't even deny it anymore. I really like him."

"Why did you have to steal so much shit, Louis?" Niall sighed. "We maybe could have let you off easy..."

Harry frowned at that, looking to Niall as he slowly stirred the warm sauce, "What do you think the prosecution is going to be?"

"I don't know... he's stolen so much jewellery... expensive jewellery, mind you... that he can't just get fined. We could be talking twenty-five to life here."

"No," Harry said simply. "No, that’s too much."

Louis had paled. Twenty-five years in a cell, more than likely surrounded my homophobic assholes. And without Harry. Without Harry was the part he'd hate the most. He shrugged however, "I guess it is... what I would deserve."

"Stop," Harry shook his head. "No. We're not going to talk about this. I won't let that happen so there's no need for discussion. Not even a year."

Zayn and Niall exchanged confused glances, but Louis offered them both empty plates, "Have at it..."

They ate quietly at the four person table, sipping at beers, until Louis finally spoke up, "So... who is in charge while Harry isn't there?"

"Me," Zayn murmured.

"Oh... is that why you were out here looking for Nick?" Louis asked.

"Zayn told me you tackled him thinking he was Grimshaw," Niall cackled. "That's great, mate."

"I damn nearly shot him," Zayn shook his head. "I didn't know who he was at first, I just saw some person flying at me."

"Scared the hell out of me," Harry grumbled. "You both are so stupid."

Zayn simply rolled his eyes, knowing better than to argue with Harry, but Louis pressed on, "At least we don't look like frogs."

Zayn and Niall's eyes widened, and Harry simply poked at Louis with his fork, "At least I don't snore in my sleep."

"At least my head isn't in the shape of an egg."

"You said my head _wasn't_ egg shaped!" Harry laughed. "You can't use that insult anymore, you took it back."

"Well I'm reinforcing it, you have an egg head," Louis shrugged.

"Ass."

"Dick."

Harry leaned over and pecked Louis on the lips, making Zayn choke and Niall burst into hysterical laughter, "That... has got to be the most interesting thing I have ever seen. This is better than television. Say more things."

"What are you talking about?" Harry looked at Niall confusedly.

"You never let _anyone_ talk to you like that! So hearing Louis say those things is hilarious!"

"He's got a mouth..." Harry agreed, looking to Louis fondly. Louis nonchalantly switched his fork into his left hand so he could hold Harry's hand under the table.

They all continued to joke around after that, the atmosphere not as tense anymore. Even Zayn seemed to loosen up a bit, laughing at some of the things Louis said. Harry glanced at his friends, at his thief, but then caught himself as he realized that Zayn had been right. He _did_ think of Louis as _his_ thief, and probably always had. It was always him that Louis had spoken to on the camera, so if anyone had asked him, he probably would have claimed Louis as his own. His own person that was sent to make his life slight hell, but then at the same time to smile at him and make it all better again. And he never wanted to see him go.

When Zayn and Niall left about four hours later, Harry and Louis took a quick shower together and brushed their teeth. Harry re-bandaged Louis' injured side before they climbed into bed together in just pairs of clean briefs. They kissed slowly, leisurely for a bit, but then Louis snuggled close, too tired to do anything sexual. They'd already given each other one orgasm for the day, anyway.

"Your feet aren't that cold at the moment," Harry murmured.

"You're not radiating the heat of a thousand suns," Louis giggled. "How's your abdomen?"

"Doesn't even hurt," Harry declared. "I'm so tired though... I think it's because I didn't nap. I shouldn't nap though, I can't get into that habit."

"I love naps," Louis mumbled sleepily into Harry's neck. He felt Harry's lips in his hair, and he smiled softly. "Harry... is it too soon for me to tell you that I love you? I mean... we've discussed it, I know, we're in love. But can I just randomly tell you it?"

"You did in the kitchen already," Harry pointed out. "And last night, what do you mean-"

"I said I was _in_ love with you... but... is it too soon to tell you that I love you? For no reason, not in a way of apology I mean," Louis rambled.

"It's not too soon if you really mean it, I suppose..." Harry said slowly.

"I love you. And I mean it," Louis told him.

Harry chuckled, snuggling him closer and letting himself drift towards sleep with the smaller boy cuddle into his arms, their legs tangled together, "I love you, too. And I mean it."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)  
> -Updated frequently as of 12/15/13 because I have no life and I love to write this bitch-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE ARE INACCURACIES IN THIS CHAPTER AND ANY BUILDINGS MENTIONED ARE OBVIOUSLY COMPLETELY FICTIONAL SO DON'T BE HATING.

Louis awoke to fingers jabbing at the side of his ribs that weren't cut, "Get up, lazy bones. Up, up, up! You're showing me what you do with the jewellery today."

The thief grunted, curling in on himself and trying to wiggle towards his warm assaulter, "No..."

He heard Harry's quiet laughter, but the once prodding fingers turned into cuddling arms, and Louis grinned triumphantly until Harry's lips were against his ear, "What time do you usually do this... thing of yours?"

Louis sighed, keeping his eyes closed, "What time is it now?"

"10am," Harry responded. "We slept a bit late."

"So basically, you're trying to get me out of bed so I'll make you something to eat."

"No!" Harry laughed, kissing Louis' nose. Louis finally allowed his eyes to flutter open, finding Harry merely inches from his face. "I was going to let you keep me company while I made us omelets from the left over tomatoes. We've also got onions, spinach, green peppers... um..."

"Sounds good," Louis hummed. "We can eat breakfast, and then... can you drive me to the hotel that I showed you yesterday?"

Harry frowned at that, pulling back to examine Louis' face, "What are you doing at the hotel?"

"Just meeting a guy... oh, and we'll need the jewellery. He gives me money for it. I actually saw him waiting for us yesterday. It was a little late though, so I don't know why he was there. We always meet at noon. And on Sundays, so he was a day early."

"At that hotel?"

"Yep. But I've only ever stayed there once. I usually try to switch places as much as I can. I've been all over London."

"Wait, you saw him yesterday, what do you mean?" Harry shook his head.

"Like... we drove past the hotel and I saw him there. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to ask for the jewellery early," Louis admitted.

"Louis," Harry sighed. "You could probably get whatever you wanted out of me. Just saying."

"Because you love me?" Louis asked.

Harry rolled his eyes, "No, because you'd probably suck my dick for it. Yes because I love you, you dolt."

Louis wiggled back a bit to admire Harry's chest, taking the agent being shirtless to his advantage. He gently traced over the fading bruises with a fingertip, running his hand down Harry's tone muscles, "How's your injuries?"

"Mine are fine," Harry assured. "They look worse than they feel. How's your cut?"

"Can barely tell it's there," Louis murmured, pressing a kiss to Harry's collarbones and wiggling down to press a kiss to his sternum. "Do you think we have time to exchange late morning blow jobs?"

Harry groaned, "I really, really want to... but no. I don't think we have time. We need to eat and head to that hotel."

"And then... well, I'll just give you directions after I meet Marcus."

"Marcus?" Harry asked.

"The guy I give the jewellery to..." Louis replied, touching Harry's chest lightly. "You might have to... stay in the car so he doesn't recognise you. He's not a very nice guy, usually has some type of weapon concealed on him."

Harry frowned at that, "And you still interact with him? No way, I'm coming with you."

"Harry, I've done this so many times now. If I've got the jewellery to give him he won't hurt me. But if he recognises you... we could both be in some serious shit," Louis finally wiggled from Harry's arms and sat up. "However... I need to piss."

"And I need to make breakfast," Harry sighed.

Louis climbed from the bed and sleepily stumbled to Harry's dresser, digging through it to find himself some clothes, "Your pants are too long on me. I'll have to roll the cuffs up."

"Who said you could wear my clothes?" Harry arched a brow.

"Do you want me to go naked?" Louis shot back.

"Yes."

"I should have expected that one," Louis sighed, but he pulled himself out jeans and a t-shirt anyway. Harry laughed, climbing stiffly from the bed and kissing Louis' cheek before the older man slipped off to the bathroom. Harry put on some clothes for himself, and then retreated down the hall to the kitchen to begin their breakfast. Louis was quick to join him, walking up behind Harry where he stood at the stove and nuzzled into his back. "I love you."

Harry froze in surprise, and it took him a few moments before he finally connected that he needed to turn around and return the affection. He twisted around slightly, pulling a hesitant looking Louis into a tight hug, "I love you, too. But you lied. You said jewellery was the only thing you ever really stole."

"What-" Louis spluttered, shaking his head in confusion.

"You stole my heart."

Louis blinked at him for a second, "Wow. Wow, that was bad, Harry. I... I'm ashamed."

"But it's true," the agent laughed, planting a kiss on Louis' lips and turning back around to the stove. He stepped over towards the counter however, and Louis could see vegetables placed out on a cutting board. He stood close to Harry and watched silently as he skillfully chopped up tomato, onion, and spinach. "I'm waiting for you to insult my chopping skills."

"Never insult a man with a knife," Louis replied, but then chuckled. "I'm kidding, babe. You've got more skills than I do, so I'm simply admiring back here."

"Well we made a pretty good cooking team yesterday," Harry replied. "Beat some eggs for me?"

"Sure," Louis agreed, leaning carefully around Harry to kiss his cheek.

So Louis beat eggs while Harry placed a pan on the burner, letting it heat before dropping some butter into it and sliding it around the pan. He shook a bit of salt into it as well, and upon the confused glance from Louis, he shrugged, "It won't affect the taste much, but it'll keep the egg from sticking to the pan."

"Ooh, look at you being all fancy," Louis laughed, earning a flick to the nose that was soothed with a kiss.

"Your nose is too cute," Harry admitted. "I feel bad when I flick it."

Louis simply rolled his eyes, but lightly bumped his hip against Harry's. Finally, Harry started making their omelets, and Louis decided he was going to fuck about while he waited. He shimmied around Harry, purposely letting his bum brush the agent as he turned in circles, "Harry I have a confession."

"What, that you're trying to make me burn myself?" Harry huffed.

"No, I'm not actually a thief."

"Is that so?" Harry quirked a brow, but he didn't turn to give Louis the attention he could tell the older man wanted.

"I'm not," Louis insisted. "I'm an... entertainer. A night entertainer. If you know what I mean."

"Are you insinuating that you're a stripper?" Harry held back a chuckle.

"I am," Louis finally stopped brushing against Harry and peered around him into the pan. "Stripper and prostitute."

"Well," Harry shrugged. "How much for life?"

"Nothing you can afford, babe," Louis cooed, kissing Harry's cheek. "But... maybe if the omelets really good I'll reconsider."

"You're such a little shit."

But Harry's omelet did live up to Louis' standards, and he made sure to let the agent know, "Holy shit, Harry. Why did you have me cook food all this time if you can make stuff like this?"

"Well I've lived on my own for quite some time now, I had to learn to cook eventually," Harry laughed, reaching over to Louis' plate to steal a piece of tomato.

"Hey! That was mine!" Louis pouted. "I needed that. I'm about to be malnourished in prison."

Harry frowned at that, shaking his head, but instead of replying he cut off a larger piece of his own omelet and offered it out to Louis. The man happily leaned and ate off of Harry's fork, pushed his fringe out of his eyes, and contently went back to eating his own omelet. It was already 11:00am as they finished, and Louis happily washed his and Harry's dishes as Harry silently dried them, watching Louis hum to himself.

And to think that originally he had been planning on turning Louis in later on in the day. So much had happened in such little time, and Harry didn't want to turn Louis in ever. He wanted to keep the playful, sassy, and kind older lad. He knew for certain that when Wednesday came, it was going to be a rough day for the both of them.

"Louis," Harry murmured, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"Yep?" Louis smiled at him.

Harry smiled back, then, unable to resist. Because he'd fallen head over heels for Louis. Professional Agent Styles had found one person who could melt him with a simple look, "I love you."

Louis practically lit up, lightly bumping his hip against Harry's, "I love you, too..."

"Well... let's go do this thing," Harry chuckled, drying his hands. "I have to grab a key from my dresser really fast. It's for the jewellery... that's under the passenger seat of my Range Rover."

"Clever," Louis chuckled, shrugging. "It's the last I'm ever stealing, so I'll be kind of glad when it's out of my life."

"I'm just curious to know why you've stolen jewellery for over a year," Harry replied, retreating down the hall to get the key. When he came back, he found Louis was already in his shoes and one of Harry's coats. "Oh. We're in a hurry, now?"

"I just don't want Marcus getting impatient," Louis explained. "He's always more hesitant to hand over the money if I'm late."

Harry didn't like the sound of Marcus much, but he slipped on his shoes and his coat as well, glancing at his gun and holster on the wall, "Um..."

"You won't need that where we're going," Louis assured. "Marcus is the most dangerous part and you'll be staying in the vehicle for that."

"Alright," Harry sighed, slipping from the house and locking the door. He patted his jean pockets, however. "Ah, my wallet-"

Louis held it out to him, and Harry blinked in surprise as Louis blushed, "Everything is still in it, I promise."

"I... how did you..."

Louis simply turned and nearly pranced to the car in the sassy way that he did, and Harry chuckled as he followed him. Harry drove a bit over the speed limit on the outer roads on the way towards London. Louis belted out along with the radio that Harry allowed him to control, but when they neared the hotel, Louis leaned and turned down the volume, "Okay, so Marcus..."

"What about him?" Harry asked, pulling into the car park and scanning the perimeter for any suspicious looking men. He spotted a fairly large one not too far off from where he had parked leaning against the wall of the building, a cigarette perched between his fingers.

"Well he's..." Louis waved his hand searching for the words he wanted. "He's kind of a bully. Because I'm small. But just stay in the car, alright?"

"What do you mean-" Harry began suspiciously.

"Can I have the key?" Louis asked, digging the small box out from underneath the seat. Harry handed over the key, and Louis unlocked the padlock and opened the box. "I'll be right back."

"Wait, is that Marcus?" Harry caught Louis' hand, nodding to the large man.

"That's him."

"Oh my God, Louis, he's fucking massive," Harry hissed. "And he's a 'bully' you said? He could snap you in half, you're insane! No, I'm coming with you."

"Harry," Louis soothed. "I've done this for a year. Just... don't get out of the car, alright? Because if he knows you're a fed- er... sorry if that's derogatory, force of habit... if he knows you work for the FBI he'll definitely kill us. So."

Harry crossed his arms unhappily, "I should have brought my gun..."

"I'll be back," Louis leaned across the middle, kissing Harry softly. "Stay in the vehicle."

And then the smaller man tightened his hand on the Ziploc bag containing the jewellery, climbed from the Range Rover, and began walking bravely towards the large guy leaning against the hotel. He knew that if he showed fear in the slightest, Marcus would push him around a bit just to be a dick. And Louis didn't know how Harry would react to that.

"Louis fucking Tomlinson," Marcus grinned his crooked grin as he spotted Louis approaching. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show for our usual deal. You weren't here last Sunday. Or yesterday."

"Sorry, Marcus," Louis forced a grin as well. "Had a bit of trouble finding a good place to hit. Got one though! Decently, too."

"Show me."

Louis held up the Ziploc baggy, and Marcus reached to snatch it from his hands. But Louis was quicker, stepping out of Marcus' reach, "You know the deal, Marc..."

"Just wanted to see if it felt heavy," Marcus scowled. "See if you actually brought me my money's worth."

"Trust me, it's worth your money."

"Grimshaw told me it wouldn't be."

Louis' eyes widened, "You've spoken to Grimshaw? He's a rat, you know. He'll turn you in if you get on his bad side."

"He'd be dead before he could even try," Marcus huffed, turning around to pick up a bag that he'd hidden behind him. "I don't believe a word he says anyway, s'why I wanted to check."

Louis nodded to the bag in Marcus' hand, "How much is in there?"

"Eighty fifty pound notes. Six thousand pounds here, so you better have hit that store well," Marcus snapped, hoisting up the bag high over Louis' head. "Now see if you can reach it."

"Marcus..." Louis groaned. "I'm giving you the jewellery, just... there's like ten necklaces, fifteen some rings, and several pairs earrings. All of them were really expensive and on front display so-"

"Jump for it."

"God damn it," Louis mumbled, standing on his tip toes and stretching for the bag, he could easily grab the bottom, but then Marcus pushed out with his good hand. He caught Louis' cut ribs, and Louis instantly grabbed his side in slight agony before he caught himself. He only hoped Harry hadn't witnessed what had just happened. "Marcus..."

"Wimp," Marcus rolled his eyes, chucking the bag at Louis' gut and snatching the Ziploc baggy from his hands. "This is a pretty big baggy, I guess. I'm rather impressed. Enjoy wasting that money in your stupid ways, Tomlinson."

Fuck you, Louis thought, but instead, he nodded, "Have a nice day."

He walked as calmly as he could with the bag of money, opening the door to the Range Rover and climbing into the passenger seat. Before he could even speak, Harry was snarling, "Who in the fuck does he think he is?!"

Louis sighed, "He's always like that."

"Do you know how hard it was for me to stay in here?" Harry was positively fuming. "Especially when he- he..."

"Pushed me?" Louis sighed, reaching over and taking Harry's hand. The younger man had clenched it onto the wheel in a white knuckled grip, and Louis pried it off to tangle their fingers together. "I'm alright though. And I have six thousand pounds in this bag here, so..."

Harry examined Louis thoroughly, reaching out to push up Louis' shirt slightly, "Are you hurt?"

"Harry!" Louis laughed gently. "No, no I'm fine. He really didn't shove me hard, I remained standing didn't I? He just hit my cut, so..."

"I..." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, looking to the building where the man had disappeared. "Okay. Alright. You never have to see him again, so..."

"Just people like him in prison," Louis nodded before he could stop himself. He felt Harry's hand tense in his own.

"No," Harry disagreed. "Nobody's going to fucking touch you. Now... where... where are we taking this money?"

"7504 West Billings Lane," Louis replied. "It's a tall brick house."

"A house?" Harry frowned. "More huge fucking men who need to be shot in their kneecaps?"

"Strange insult, but not quite..." Louis chuckled. "You'll see when we get there."

Harry nodded slowly, keeping Louis' hand in his own as he drove out of the car park. He had Louis type the address into the GPS so Louis didn't have to give constant directions, but other than the noise of the GPS the drive was nearly silent. Finally, Harry sighed deeply, "When Marcus was being a complete and utter shitbag, I... it was very hard for me not to walk up and use all of my combat training on him."

"But I was alright," Louis frowned.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "If he would have done anything else, or if you would have fallen... I know I would have gotten out of the car to kick his ass. The agent in me was screaming at me to. And since it was you, the non-agent side was screaming at me even louder."

Louis blushed a bit, squeezing Harry's hand, "Um... thank you, then. For having my back. Despite all the shit I've put you through in the last year."

"Yeah, well you had my back, as well," Harry sighed. "Before we were even friends, you still had my back. In that storage room full of those boxes when you could have just let Nick Grimshaw splatter my brains all over the-"

"Wow, a bit gruesome for my taste, let's not go there."

Harry laughed, "Basically... you're a fantastic person and I'm not going to let anyone, treat you like that. No one is ever going to hurt you if I have anything to do with it. Alright?"

Louis kissed Harry's knuckles in response, but then they were driving past flats and houses, pulling up in front of the tall brick house that Louis had described. Harry examined it in confusion. It was gated, and inside the gate, the grass was scattered with bikes and children's play things. Louis simply climbed from the vehicle however, with the bag of money, strolling through the gate before turning to look at Harry who still had yet to climb from the vehicle. Louis waved for him to follow, and Harry instantly scrambled from the vehicle to rush after Louis.

"Louis, whose-"

Louis simply took Harry's hand and led him up the sidewalk and porch steps, knocking a playful rhythm onto the door. There was the sound of running from inside, but then there was a slight thud, and the door cracked open very slowly. Harry leaned around Louis to see a small green eye peeking out, and then the door was flung open as a high voice trilled, "Robin!"

Harry not only blanched at the strange name, but a small, dark haired girl flung herself at Louis, hugging him tightly as he laughed, dropping the bag of money and returning the hug whole-heartedly, "Hiya, Lilly."

"Robin's here, guys!" she shrieked into the house, and Harry's eyes widened as several children came sprinting out to greet Louis as well. They all seemed to be young, with the oldest being maybe twelve or thirteen, but there were so many. Harry counted at least eight, listening as a younger boy crowed, "Robin! Robin I learned how to bounce a football on my foot like eight times in a row without it touching the ground, and I-"

"That's awesome, Cal!" Louis praised. "You'll have to show me sometime!"

"Kids, kids!" a woman's voice sounded. A woman with frazzled blonde hair, seemingly in her fifties, made her way into the doorway. "Ah! It's Robin! I should have expected, it is Sunday after all! You just didn't make an appearance last week. We missed you!"

"Sorry about that, Tina" Louis grinned. "I missed you guys, too! Got a little caught up at the, uh... office and what not."

"Understandable," the woman, supposedly named Tina, nodded. "I have trouble escaping work to make it home in time for these nine to get home from school."

Harry continued to examine all the children, practically hiding behind Louis. None of them looked anything alike, nor did any of them look like Tina. He wondered vaguely how none of them recognized Louis from the television, but he figured that Louis wasn't wearing his usual turtleneck, his hair wasn't styled like it usually was, and his face was soft rather than smug. And of course, there was the name change from Louis to Robin. There was suddenly a small blonde child tugging at his trouser leg, and he looked down in surprise, "Hi there..."

"You haven't comed here with Robin before..." she said shyly. "What's your name?"

Harry almost instantly realized that Louis had stolen Robin Hood's name as his identity, and he wracked his brain for a good friend of Robin Hood's, "John..."

He heard Louis stifle a giggle, but then he spoke up, "Yes, my apologies, guys. This is my friend John. He was my ride here today instead of me walking like normal."

"Nice to meet you," Tina stuck a hand out over the heads of all the kids, and Harry reached around the small girl in front of him to shake it. "I'm Tina. How long have you known Robin?"

"Um... about a year," Harry chuckled.

"That's about how long we've known him!" Tina chuckled. "He's a lifesaver, Robin... this place was so run down before him. The kids were in danger of having to go elsewhere. I mean... I know they'll have to if they're ever adopted, but I just don't want them being moved around all the time. Here they don't have to leave unless they're going to be with a permanent family."

"Oh..." Harry felt his heart clench up. It explained why none of the kids looked alike. "This is a foster home."

"It is," Tina nodded, and Louis pushed the bag of money towards her with his foot as he was slowly being pulled from the porch and into the yard by several of the kids.

"Here you are Tina, I think that should cover bills, utilities, groceries, any other repairs you need to make... and maybe you can still get the kids some new stuff as well. There's uh, about six thousand pounds there."

Tina balked at him, but then he was dragged from the porch, chuckling the whole way. All of the children followed as Louis began to kick a football around with them in the yard, wearing the biggest smile on his face. Harry wasn't sure if he'd seen him glow quite that bright.

"He's... he really is the sweetest man in the universe," Tina sniffled. "I don't... is he rich, do you know? How does he always give us so much money? I almost feel terrible taking it but he insists it's for a good cause... and I didn't want the kids to be all split up and-"

"No, no..." Harry soothed instantly. "It's... the money is for a good cause here. It's good. You all need it. There's ten people here, yeah? You need it..."

"He's a great guy, John," she told Harry. "We'd be lost without him."

"I'm in the same boat, Tina," Harry murmured. "I'd be pretty lost without him, too."

"Goal!" Louis crowed as one of the kids kicked the ball past him, hitting the fence. "Nice one, Owen!"

Louis came back over to join Harry and Tina, leaving the kids to continue their football match, "Sorry, what'd I miss?"

"Just discussing how great you are," Harry told Louis sincerely, reaching out to squeeze the man's hand before putting his own in his pockets. His mind and heart were both racing as he tried to wrap around what was happening. All the money from Louis' thieveries went towards a foster home.

"You're staying for dinner today, Robin, correct?" Tina asked him, but then Louis' face fell a bit.

"I actually shouldn't..." Louis sighed. "After... after today, I don't think I'll be able to come back."

Tina's eyes grew wide, "Oh... you... is everything alright?"

"It's fine," Louis lied. "I've just got a job transfer. To the states. So it's not a maybe I won't come back... it's... it's a definite."

"Oh dear..." Tina bit nervously at her nails. "Well of course you've supplied us with so much for over a year that we've been putting enough in the savings to make it on our own now. But we're all going to miss you so much, Robin. You've been so lovely."

"Um... I don't know if I should... tell the kids?" Louis squeaked. "I don't want to say goodbye because I'd like to think that I'll come back some time..."

"Just give them your normal goodbyes," Tina said softly. "And if you can come back, please do... you don't have to bring anything but yourself. And maybe John here. He seems like a nice guy."

Louis gave a hoarse chuckle, "Yeah. I'm pretty fond of John. I think I'll take him with me anywhere I can."

Harry watched silently as Louis gave large hugs to all of the kids, telling each and every one of them something that could only apply to that child, "Kendra, make sure not to cheat on your maths test! Owen, keep practicing your football, mate, and you'll go pro."

Louis kissed them all on the tops of their heads, suddenly looking like he was going to burst into tears. It hit Harry with full force how attached Louis had grown to them all. Made him realize why he'd been so desperate to do this "one last thing". Louis kissed Tina's cheek, and Tina wiped at her eyes, "We'll see you soon, Robin?"

"Yeah," Louis nodded, swallowing hard. "See you soon."

All the kids waved to Harry, and he nodded to them all before Louis took his hand and led him reluctantly back to the vehicle. The older lad waved as they pulled away from the house, but the moment the house was out of sight, a sob escaped him. Harry's heart clenched, and he reached out for the man, "Oh, Lou..."

"No," Louis caught himself, wiping at his eyes and nose. "Sorry, sorry... I just... I know they're alright. They'll be okay without me. It's alright."

Harry felt his eyes welling up with tears as well. The man sniffling in the passenger seat wasn't like anyone he had ever known. He could have used his crazy thieving skills to grow rich, but he'd given it all to a foster home that needed it more. Harry couldn't even think of Louis as criminal. There was no way in hell a man as sweet and as caring as Louis could be punished as a criminal.

The moment they returned to Harry's house and they were parked safely in the driveway, Harry buried his face into his hands as a few of his own tears spilled over his cheeks and into his hands. A slight sniffle gave him away, forcing a gasp from Louis as he reached across the vehicle to touch Harry, "What- what's the matter, why are you crying?"

"You helped them Louis, you... you made sure their lives didn't become absolute shit. You're a modern day Robin Hood... they called you Robin. All those kids. Nine. And you helped them. They loved you so much."

"Yes," Louis sniffled. "I love them all, too. Each and every one of them. They're like siblings to me, Tina is like a mum..."

"I can't," Harry croaked out, looking up at Louis with teary eyes. "I can't do it."

"Do what?" Louis asked softly, scooting closer to Harry. It broke Harry's heart even more that Louis was pushing all of his feelings back for Harry. Louis was the one having to walk away, Louis was the one who was going to have to go to prison even if Harry couldn't take him there himself. But Louis was trying to comfort him.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to turn you in..." Harry burst into full-fledged tears, something he hadn't done in ages. His rough exterior completely crumbled. Louis simply crawled the remainder of the way to Harry, tucking himself between the agent and the wheel despite accidentally honking the horn a bit. He hugged Harry tightly, burrowing his face into Harry's shoulder, and the two sat sobbing as they held each other, thinking of how big of a mess they were in and dreading Wednesday.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)  
> -Updated frequently as of 12/15/13 because I have no life and I love to write this bitch-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

Once Harry and Louis had managed to stop sobbing, Louis reluctantly climbed from Harry's lap and out of the vehicle. The agent simply took Louis' hand in his own and pulled Louis into the house where they kicked off their shoes and climbed straight into Harry's bed. Louis tucked himself into Harry's arms, his face pressed into the younger man's chest.

They were quiet for quite some time, but Harry eventually took a deep and shaky breath, "You... you should run away."

Louis stiffened, pulling back in surprise, "What?"

"Yeah," Harry swallowed hard, examining Louis' face. "I can't turn you in if you're not here."

"Harry," Louis shook his head. "No. No, I've still done wrong. Stealing is always wrong no matter where the money goes. I'm not sorry that I... helped them? I'm just sorry that I've fucked up everything else I had going for me."

"Please?" Harry whispered. "You can escape, no one will ever find you, I-"

"I'd miss you," Louis admitted. "And besides... you'll get a lot of recognition when you turn me in. One of England's most wanted, yeah?"

"No," Harry replied softly, repeating Louis' words from the day before. "The one that I wanted most. The one I still do want."

Louis instantly snuggled closer into Harry again, mumbling into his neck, "Then I really  _can't_ run away. Not if you want me."

"What if I want you to run away?" Harry tried. "I just... Louis, I don't want you to go to prison! I know I'm always saying that I can get you out of it or get you the shortest time in the best place London has, but... what if I can't?"

"Then whenever I get out," Louis shrugged. "If you haven't long forgotten about me... I'll come see you and we can try to... I don't know, become even closer than we are now?"

Harry pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Louis' head, breathing in the scent of the younger boy, "Nobody told me today was going to be this emotional. If... if today was emotional, then Wednesday-"

"I don't think it'll be bad," Louis soothed, although he was just as worried. "You'll take me in, you and Zayn or Niall will have to question me, and then I'll probably be put in a cell in local prison before I attend court to decide how long I have to be there."

"They'll probably just want me to give them the file, that's usually what I do with cases. But... I'm going to this trial. I'm not letting you get more than a year in jail. If that. Preferably no jail at all."

Louis kissed Harry's neck in response, tucking his feet between Harry's ankles like usual. Harry didn't complain like he normally would, but instead slung an arm around Louis and stroked softly at the back of his head. The older man sighed, mumbling against Harry's collarbone, "Do you think Tina and the kids will be alright?"

"Oh yeah," Harry instantly assured, feeling his heart clench up. Louis didn't belong in prison. He couldn't let Louis go to prison. "You helped them,  _Robin Hood_."

"I wasn't  _that_ extreme..." Louis protested weakly. "I was Robin Hadley."

"You're too cute..." Harry said softly. "Stay with me forever."

"As soon as I can, I will," Louis agreed. "If you'll still have me."

"Of course."

Louis felt lips in his hair again, pressing soft kisses, and his hands subconsciously tightened in Harry's shirt. He didn't want to upset Harry, but he was terrified of leaving the quaint little house. Harry felt safe,  _was_ safe. And prison would not be. Louis stiffened then, "Nick Grimshaw..."

"What about him?" Harry shook his head in confusion.

"If I'm in prison how am I supposed to help you if-"

"You'll be coming out of prison," Harry promised. "Nick Grimshaw is going to be going in there for an awful long time. Murder, assault on an agent... oh yeah. He'll be doing some time. So don't even worry about me."

"Impossible."

Harry sighed, stroking Louis' hair softly, "Are you hungry?"

"Not really," Louis shook his head. "Are you?"

"Not in the slightest."

Louis didn't like the serious atmosphere of the room. He knew that they had to think positively, even if things were going to end negatively. They needed to stay somewhat happy to enjoy the small amount of time left together. It hurt the older man thinking that they had less than three days. Louis had the side of his face pressed to Harry's chest, but he craned his head back to kiss Harry's jaw, "You've waited a long time to take me in, though..."

"That was before I had officially met you. Before you snuck into my car to come home with me and make my life hell. But at the same time, you made me fall head over heels for you. I don't think I can stand to do that to you."

Louis squirmed up a bit higher so he could be eye level with Harry, "It's not like I'll be holding a grudge. I had this coming to me."

"I'll be telling Niall and Zayn what's happening so I can get their input. It's come to the point I might even call my mother and ask her for advice. But I can't really tell her that I've got a thief in my house over the phone. She'll panic unless she meets you. So, I've been avoiding that call," Harry explained quietly, thumbing over Louis' cheek bones, his nose, his eyebrows.

"Are you going to have them over for dinner again?" Louis asked.

"No... I'll just talk to them Tuesday when I-" Harry started, but then he groaned, tugging Louis close again. "When I go back to work. Until then I just want to spend time with you."

"Lots of just talking like this?" Louis asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I need to cuddle as much as I can before we can't for a bit."

Louis nodded happily, snuggling closer, "Will you read to me?"

"Oh," Harry said in surprise, and Louis felt him shift slightly. "Yeah. Um... I think the book is in the other room, though."

"I've got it," Louis soothed, and rolled out of Harry's embrace and off of the bed before Harry could stop him. He retrieved the book from the kitchen, coming back and pushing his cold feet against Harry's warm ankles with a shiver.

"Ice cube," Harry said fondly, adjusting his legs to trap Louis' feet and warm them better. "There. That'll help them get warm."

"Thank you."

"Now let me see the book," Harry held his hands out wiggled an arm under Louis, pulling the older man close and completely wrapping Louis up in his embrace. He plucked the book from Louis' hands, and Louis could hear him thumbing through the pages from where he had his nose nuzzled into Harry's collarbone. Harry stilled, however, "I... I think need to apologise before I read to you."

"Apologise?" Louis tilted his head back to look at the agent. "Why?"

"In the car when I kind of... broke down? I don't normally do that, and I- I'm sorry about-"

"Are you apologising for  _crying,_ you dolt?" Louis asked gently. "You shouldn't apologise for  _crying_. Everyone cries. In fact, I'm a huge crier. I cry at everything."

"Yeah but," Harry squirmed slightly. "I'm not even the one worse off in the situation. I didn't really have the right to cry, you did. I'm not going to prison, I'm just the douche bag taking you there."

"The right," Louis scoffed. "Harry, when it comes to crying I don't think rights apply. Crying just happens, it's free range. And you might be a douche bag, but you're a handsome, sweet douche bag. Besides. We both comforted each other. You hugged me back when I hugged you, and that comforted me."

"I comforted you?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes," Louis chuckled. "I stopped crying, didn't I? I think that was a record timing. Plus... I love you."

"Which just makes it even harder," Harry whispered. "And kind of makes me want to cry again."

"Don't-" Louis gasped. "Don't do that, you'll set my tears off! Like... I guess it hadn't clicked that it was going to be the last time I got to visit them. Clicked that come Wednesday... I'm going to be in  _prison_ and I-"

Harry's arms tightened around him, "Not for long. I don't get to pick the prison they take you to first. They're just going to be putting you in some random holding cell until the trial. But if I have my way, you won't be going back to prison. And if you are, then I'm definitely picking where they take you."

"I also didn't realise," Louis began hoarsely. "How much I'd miss them? And you."

Harry heard Louis' words catch in his throat, and he quickly soothed, "You'll see them and me again. And I'll make sure they're alright if you're going to be gone for a bit, I'll keep an eye on them. And just think! After we get you out of this mess you can find your mum and sisters again."

"Oh," Louis said softly. "I... you're right! I can find them and see how they're doing, and I'm so excited take me to prison right now so I can get it out of the way!"

"No way," Harry's grip tightened. "I'm selfish and you're mine for now. But when you can start looking for them, I'll help you. I can run a search for your mum at the bureau."

"You will?!" Louis gasped, squirming back to examine Harry's face. "You'll really help me?"

"No," Harry laughed. "I'm lying to you to get your hopes up. Of  _course_ I'd help you! Especially if it made you happy."

"It makes me more than happy!" Louis crowed, and he planted a sloppy kiss onto a surprised Harry's lips. "You're the greatest."

"I just like you, is all."

"You  _love_ me," Louis pointed out. "And I love you. Kind of a lot. And I mean it."

"I love you more than a lot and I mean it," Harry told him, tugging the man's face back to his neck. "Now shut up and let me read to you."

"Yes sir," Louis laughed.  

Harry willed himself not to grow hard at Louis' words. He promised himself he'd read to Louis. So he did. Louis snuggled close, his face tucked into Harry's neck, and Harry read to him from Sherlock Holmes. It was fond and domestic and Harry absolutely loved it. His heart swelled even more when from in the circle of his arms, Louis began making cute little snuffling sounds. The older lad had fallen asleep. He put the book down and fawned over the sleeping man's hair for a bit, but without Louis talking to him and keeping him distracted, his mind drifted to Wednesday.

He'd have to take Louis in. They already had a warrant for Louis' arrest, so only minor questioning was required. But then someone would come to get Louis, and he'd be taken to some prison that Harry would only be informed of when they got him. The earliest Harry figured he could get Louis to a trial was Friday, and he was determined to do so. After that he'd get Louis the minimum amount of jail time that he could. What he wanted was house arrest for Louis, even if it meant Louis would have to be living away from him and with his mother for a bit since he had no place of his own. He figured Louis would like to be living with his mum and sisters once more.

But along with house arrest he'd have to do community service, and lots of it. But on the bright side, he wouldn't be in danger, and Harry could visit him frequently. He  _needed_  to be able to see Louis on a daily basis, even if it meant that he needed to get them both laptops and Wi-Fi so that they could Skype.

He leaned his head onto Louis', breathing in the smell of the man. Even though he used Harry's shampoo, conditioner, and wore Harry's clothes, he still smelled so good to the agent. Louis shifted a bit, mumbling something that Harry didn't catch.

"What was that, love?" Harry asked softly.

"Ungh..." Louis groaned, and something about it shot straight to Harry's groin. Louis shifted even more, his feet that were still tucked between Harry's legs moving so that Harry's thigh was pressed directly against his crotch, and  _oh_. Harry instantly found out that Louis was hard.

"Shit," he murmured, wondering if he should wake Louis up to have his way with the man or if he should see what Louis' dream would make the man do.

"Harry," Louis whimpered, his hips beginning to rock just in the slightest. "Harry..."

The agent tightened his grip on the older man, and he was definitely growing hard against Louis' hip as well. But then Louis made a startled sound, pushing away from Harry with a bleary eyed look on his face. Harry's eyebrows shot up, and he pushed his leg into Louis just in the slightest, "Um..."

"Ah, fuck," Louis croaked, squirming away entirely. "Sorry! I- wow, sorry, how fucking old am I? Having heated dreams like that, oh god, did I... I was talking wasn't I?"

"You were just..." Harry sat up, scrubbing a hand over his hair. "Moaning my name a bit. No big deal. You also started humping my leg just before you woke up."

"I-" Louis' jaw fell open, and he shook his head in disbelief. "I hate myself."

"My body liked it," Harry informed Louis, pushing the covers back to show Louis how hard he was in his jeans. "These are actually really uncomfortable right now, so I'd appreciate it if maybe you would stop freaking out about your dream and-"

Louis was pouncing back onto Harry in an instant, their clothed crotches grinding together as Louis grabbed Harry's face in his hands, sucking the agent's bottom lip into his mouth. Harry groaned, kneading his fingers into Louis' ass and pulling the man down harder against himself. It elicited a gasp from Louis, who promptly pulled back to fumble with their buttons and zippers before he shoved his own jeans and briefs down past his hips, letting his cock spring free.

Harry took it into his hand, sliding it along Louis dry a bit before he thumbed over the head to gather a bit of pre-come built up from Louis' dream. Louis bucked wildly into Harry's palm, "S-Shit-"

"Slow down, Louis," Harry purred. "Where's the fire? We've got all day to do this... in fact..."

Harry rolled with Louis then, pressing him into the mattress to kiss him softly. Louis grunted in protest, "What- no, your hand-"

"Will be on your dick in a bit, just relax," Harry mumbled against Louis' lips. "For now, let me just kiss you."

But to Louis, kissing apparently meant bucking up against Harry's hips and whimpering in a way that nearly had Harry yanking the clothes from Louis' body so he could fuck him with an animalistic approach. But instead, he simply kept the kisses light and sweet despite what Louis was trying to instigate.

 "Can I at least take my pants all the way off? My jeans are hurting my thighs like this," Louis panted, cupping Harry's cheek. Harry sat up off of Louis, helping him tug his jeans and briefs off of his legs. Louis tugged at Harry's pants while Harry pulled the frantic lad's shirt off of him. He sat back to help Louis tug the jeans from his legs, and then Louis finally got what he wanted as Harry pulled his shirt over his head.

"I think I might be hungry now," Harry teased, his lips pursed, but he palmed at himself, proving that he definitely wasn’t about to go into the kitchen for a snack.

"No," Louis declared, scrambling to wrap himself around Harry, subtly rocking against him. "We can eat after, you can't just leave me hard!"

"We'd both be left hard," Harry pointed out.

"So fuck me, then," Louis huffed.

"Like this?" Harry arched a brow, glancing down at their position. Harry was seated with his legs tucked under him, and Louis was sitting where he'd flung himself onto Harry's lap, his shorter legs wrapped around Harry's waist and his arms locked around Harry's neck as he sneakily ground his arse against the agent’s dick.

"Sure," Louis murmured. "Although I kind of wanted to... rim you maybe?"

"How about  _I_ rim  _you,_ and you suck my dick?" Harry asked, but then he smirked. "At the same time."

"What-?" Louis tried, but then he was being dumped off of Harry, flopping against the pillows with a squeak of surprise that had Harry chuckling.

The agent examined Louis' cut ribs for a moment before he flung the leg farthest from Louis over the sprawled out man's middle, turning so that his arse faced Louis, "I'm fairly certain the amateur term is known as sixty-nine?"

"People actually do that?" Louis croaked.

"Yes," Harry laughed. "It's not a myth, Louis."

"Hmph."

Harry pulled carefully at Louis' legs, and Louis jerked as he felt a finger brush over his hole. Harry hummed, "It's a bit of a strange angle..."

Harry's hips wiggled back a tiny bit more, and Louis remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Hesitantly, he reached up and guided Harry's cock between his lips, tonguing carefully at the head. Harry grunted, his grip on Louis' legs tightening, and Louis felt a sting to his inner thigh. He cried out in surprise, using his hand to stroke Harry while he panted a bit, trying to catch his breath. But then he pushed himself up to mouth more efficiently at Harry's dick, and  _then_ he felt Harry's tongue brush lightly across his rim.

"Oh," he croaked. "That surprises me every time."

"Can I have pillow?" Harry asked. Louis confusedly passed him a pillow, and Harry pinched lightly at the skin at his waist. "Hips up, love."

"What are you...?” Louis began, but he lifted his hips off the bed so Harry could slide the pillow under him. The moment Louis' hips were propped up better, he dove back in fervently. Louis gasped as the agent's wet mouth nipped, licked, and sucked at his entrance, and he found himself writhing and bucking his hips.

Harry's hands pinned his hips down, and he chuckled against Louis to make him whine, "Love... you're supposed to be doing something for  _me_  during this..."

"Then-" Louis tried to make sense, Harry's tongue already pushing him towards the state of mind where he could only babble out incomprehensible sentences. "Maybe suck at what you’re doing and I could try-"

"Like this?" Harry asked, and then he was sucking at Louis' hole.

Louis cried out reaching for Harry's hair, but he could only reach Harry's shoulders with Harry being draped atop him, "Your hair- I can't reach your hair! I  _meant_ suck as in stop being god-like with your mouth."

"You're not very good at this sixty-nine thing," Harry decided, carefully climbing off of Louis.

Louis pouted, but then he pushed himself up and pushed Harry back to his knees on the bed as he bent entirely over and dropped his mouth as far as he could down Harry's dick. Harry spluttered in surprise, and Louis nearly grinned, feeling smug. Because he knew he probably wasn't very decent at pleasing other people if he himself was being pleased, but he knew that he could suck dick as long as Harry's tongue wasn't on his arse.

He wiggled his head down, pushing past his gag reflex and dropping until he could feel the fine hairs of Harry's pubic line on his nose. Harry's hands flew to his hair, but instead of holding him there, they rubbed at Louis' scalp as Harry gave a gravely moan. Louis pulled off with a pop, and Harry tugged him up to kiss him before his nose scrunched, "Ah... that's different."

"The same goes to you," Louis replied. "But I don't care."

Louis pressed their lips together again, turning and fumbling for Harry's drawer. He knew that he'd seen the man produce lube from it before, and after much digging he found a rather sticky and nearly empty tube. Harry shook his head, "There's another. That's the lube that's just for me."

"Oh?" Louis arched a brow. "And what do you do with this here lube?"

"I don't appreciate a dry slide when I’m having a wank, what do you think I do with it?" Harry replied, reaching out to tweak Louis' nipple.

"Oh really?" Louis continued, twitching away from Harry’s fingers. "So you've never say... had a few fingers inside yourself?"

"Fingers, toys, dicks," Harry shrugged. "I've had them all."

Louis' eyes took on an evil look then, and he all but tackled Harry to the bed, "Can I fuck you?"

"Not today," Harry shot back. "Now prop yourself up on the pillows so  _I_ can fuck  _you."_

"Ew, no," Louis pouted. "Make love to me."

"What were you dreaming about?" Harry asked, gently taking the lube from Louis as he moved to grab the other. "I'll try to meet your needs."

"I was on my back," Louis pursed his lips. "I don't think you actually got inside me, though. I woke up before that happened."

"Well let’s make that part of the dream come true," Harry declared. "Back against the pillows, legs apart. C'mon now, love."

Louis shifted back into a leaning position on the pillows, examining Harry as he dug out the other lube, "Harry, we... after tonight, we only have two more nights together for a bit. And we only really have one more full day. Tuesday you work, and..."

Harry pushed the drawer closed a bit roughly, turning and climbing onto Louis. He stroked him as they kissed, "Stop talking about it."

"But how many times are we going to get to do this?" Louis croaked.

"As much as we want because you're coming back," Harry declared, covering his fingers with lube and setting to work. He prepped Louis slowly, and Louis refused to let his eyes flutter closed so he could watch Harry. Harry's expression was unreadable, and he wanted the usual smug look the agent would wear when he knew he was driving Louis mad with simple touches.

"Harry," Louis whimpered, arching a bit as Harry curled his fingers into Louis' prostate.

"Just tell me when, baby," Harry murmured.

"Now, preferably," Louis scrambled to pull Harry on top of him, making the younger man's fingers slide out of him, much to his dismay. "Before I come."

"I haven't even grabbed a condom yet," Harry told him gently, trying to push back up so he could dig through the drawer more.

"Fuck that," Louis clung to Harry, a bit like a tiny octopus, and Harry's once solemn face slipped back into a fond expression. "No condom. I'm clean for now, and if you give me an STD maybe they'll stay away from me in prison."

Harry's smile fell away instantly, and he slicked up his cock as he drizzled a bit of lube down Louis' crack. He pushed into the smaller man in one smooth motion, and Louis grunted, his head titling back to reveal his neck. Harry kissed it gently, whispering into his ear as he leaned over Louis, "I love you and you love me. You're mine now. No one is going to do this to you other than me, and no one is  _ever_ going to force you into doing this if you don't want it. I don’t care if it is in prison. I’ll have them locked up in a confinement cell in the worst prison possible. No one’s going to hurt you if I have anything to do with it, remember that.”

"Oh," Louis' eyes opened in surprise, but then he buried his face into Harry's shoulder and clung even tighter to the agent. He wasn't sure how he could feel so good, feel so loved, but feel so upset at the same time. So when Harry began to slide in and out, slowly and carefully so they both could feel the drag of it all, Louis began to cry quietly into Harry's shoulder.

Harry groaned, pulling back to kiss Louis, but then he froze in surprise, "Louis?"

"Don't stop," Louis sobbed out. "I'm alright, f-feels good."

"But you're crying!" Harry croaked, moving to pull out until Louis's legs tightened around him.

"Yeah, because I love you a lot," Louis sniffled.

Harry's worried face softened, and he gently kissed Louis' tears off his face, "I love you, too..."

The kind gesture and words only made the tears come in larger quantities, and Harry gathered Louis up in his arms to hold him closer as he continued to move inside the older man. He could feel himself growing close, so he slipped a hand between Louis and himself to pull off Louis as he shifted so he could move just a bit faster. Louis sobbed out, and Harry wasn't sure if he was pleased or still in the midst of an emotional breakdown, but then Louis was stiffening and coming with a loud cry, " _Harry_ -"

 Harry fucked Louis through his orgasm, pressing their lips together roughly, and Louis purposely clenched tight around Harry to push him over the edge. Harry groaned, spilling messily into Louis before he pulled out, reaching instantly for tissues by his bedside to hand a few to Louis for his stuffy nose and others to clean Louis up. He placed several on Louis' tummy while he carefully wiped at Louis' leaking arse with the others, "I made quite the mess... that's another benefit to condoms. Are you alright?"

Louis nodded, but he sniffled again. Harry lazily threw the used tissues onto the floor and crawled up beside Louis to cuddle him close. Louis snuggled against him as Harry stroked his hair, and he sucked in a deep breath, "Today is just a rough day. I'm sorry."

"Didn't you just lecture me on why I shouldn't apologise for crying?" Harry teased, but Louis only sniffled again and Harry was quick to soothe. "No, you just do what you need to do.  _I'm_ sorry. I love you."

"Did you really mean that no one would mess with me in prison?" Louis whimpered. "I- I'm scared? I'm so sorry. I stole so much but I'm not... I don't like violent things, so."

Harry could feel his heart slowly breaking. If there was another way that he could be allowed to go to Louis trial without having to be the one to take Louis in, then he certainly would. But Payne wouldn't allow it. But then again, Louis had directed the videos towards Harry, and Harry wondered if he'd be needed at the trial no matter what, "What if... what if Zayn took you in instead of me?"

"What?" Louis gasped, grabbing onto Harry tightly. "You said you were going to! I want you to, it's not going to make me hate you. It'll make me feel better, I want you to take me."

"Okay, okay..." Harry soothed. "Alright. It makes me feel better that you want me to take you. I just... I feel bad about doing this to you. You're free to leave whenever you want, you know."

"No," Louis shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I'll man up. I warned you that I cry a lot if I'm upset."

"You look so pitiful," Harry told him softly. "It's cute. Your nose gets all red and your eyes get so blue..."

Louis hid his face in Harry's neck, "You still look like a frog. Egghead."

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. Louis wasn't feeling too upset anymore if he was tossing out insults, "But do you like me?"

"What is with you and the word like?" Louis scrubbed at his eyes. "I love you. I've only known you for about seven days, but I've known  _of_ you for over a year and I'm allowed to love you."

"I love you, too," Harry said fondly, leaning to kiss him, but he paused and shook his head. "Let's shower and brush our teeth. Then we can maybe make some dinner? Or let's order it again, actually. Chinese, yeah? You can't have too much Chinese."

Louis nodded in agreement, and Harry stood. He picked up the tissues he'd used, and Louis grimaced as he reached behind himself, "Still leaking. I'd really like to shower soon."

"Go hop in, I'll be there in a moment," Harry told him softly. "I'm going to strip the sheets  _again_. We should start putting down another blanket if we're going to always be messy."

"Well Wednesday..." Louis began, his bottom lip quivering a bit.

"I'll just change those later," Harry decided suddenly, walking and grabbing Louis' hand to lead him to the shower. Harry rubbed Louis shoulders gently as the older man cleaned himself off, and then as Harry washed Louis' hair, he began to hum quietly. "Sing some Shakira songs for me."

Louis simply shrugged sadly, "I'm not feeling it."

Harry wrapped his arms around Louis' waist then, leaning his head against his shoulder, "Did you know that if you weren't here I'd probably still be sore? I wouldn't take any medicine and I'd try to do too much. Or actually, I'd probably just be dead because Nick Grimshaw would have killed me either the first or second time he tried."

"You're not making leaving you any easier..." Louis began. "You're actually worrying me now, so-"

Harry kissed his cheek, "Don't be silly. I'll never be home. I'll constantly be at the bureau filling out paperwork so I can get you back to me as soon as possible."

"Make Zayn and Niall help you," Louis mumbled.

"Oh I plan to," Harry chuckled. "Now turn around and kiss me."

Louis complied, and they turned off the spray but stood in the remaining steam as they kissed. Harry helped Louis from the shower, bandaged up his side again, and kissed his nose as Louis finally cracked a smile, "I don't think I need a bandage anymore."

"We need it to heal before you're not with me for a bit," Harry explained. "Other agents and guards or officers or  _whoever_ the hell looks after you next probably won't be as kind."

"Well duh, I'm a criminal," Louis sighed.

"You're not," Harry shook his head. "I used to think that you were, but I don't think you are anymore. You're a thief, I suppose... but for good reasons. Robin Hood. Wait... your name really is Louis, right?"

"Yes," Louis laughed, tossing a towel over Harry's head as he wrapped one around his own waist. "I'm Louis William Tomlinson."

"Hello, Louis William Tomlinson," Harry grinned. "I'm Harry Edward Styles."

"Edward," Louis snickered, earning himself a light smack to his towel covered bum. He yelped slightly, rubbing at the sensitive area. "Careful... you already made it sore, there!"

"I was gentle!" Harry declared.

"But I'm not a girl!" Louis laughed. "My bum isn't made to take things up it, only for things to come out. Doesn't mean I don't like it, though. I would, however, like to top before I go to prison."

"We'll see," Harry murmured, handing Louis his toothbrush as he grabbed his own. Harry let Louis rinse his mouth first instead of pushing him out of the way, and when they were finished, Harry softly kissed the shorter man. "Will you strip the sheets while I order Chinese? I suppose we should put clothes on as well."

"Pajamas," Louis declared. "And then we're going to snuggle on the couch and watch movies."

Harry ended up helping Louis change the sheets after he ordered Chinese, they dressed, and Louis lounged on the bed until the delivery man had come and left. When Harry called him back out into the living room, he plopped down on Harry's lap much to the agent's surprise, drawing an oof from him, and slight grunt of pain, "Ow..."

"That hurt you?" Louis arched a brow.

"Your elbow hit me in the abdomen," Harry chuckled.

Louis' eyes widened in apology, and his hand flew to rub softly at it, "Shit! I'm so sorry! I can't believe I-" 

"Relax, relax. It didn't hurt me, just knocked the wind out of me a bit," Harry chuckled, leaning around him to get their Chinese containers from the coffee table. Louis wiggled off his lap, however, sitting close beside him instead and slipping his leg under Harry's to bump their feet together. Harry handed Louis his food, but then frowned. "Do you want something to drink?"

"I've got it," Louis declared. "What do  _you_ want to drink?"

"Beer, maybe?" Harry replied. "Just one, though. I want to relax, not get hammered."

"I could go for a relaxer, too," Louis agreed. "The sex helped... but still."

"I understand," Harry nodded.

After Louis had retrieved their beers, he flicked the lights out to rely on light from the windows and Harry found a movie for them to watch as they ate their late lunch, or early dinner, rather. When they finished, they simply left the empty containers on the coffee table as Louis cuddled backwards into Harry, and they both lay down. Harry spooned Louis from behind, stroking softly at his slightly damp hair. When he stopped, Louis felt backwards for Harry's hand, pulling it in front of his chest and tangling their fingers together.

As it grew later, nearly 10:00pm, they were still cuddling on the couch, and Louis conked out in Harry's arms once more. Harry hummed softly, flipping off the television with the remote that he had tucked between Louis and himself dropping it onto the floor and tugging a blanket off the back of the couch to drape over Louis and himself. If Louis woke up and wanted to move to the bed he could wake Harry up, but Harry was content with being tucked between Louis and the couch. He snuggled Louis closer to prevent him from falling from the couch, and whispered to the sleeping boy, "You're kind of a little shit... and you saved my life, made me fall in love with you... so I'll get us out of this mess. Sorry, you don't get to escape my frog face and egghead."

Louis simply stirred, snoring a bit as he turned onto his side and snuggled into Harry's chest. Harry kissed the man's temple, rested his chin on the top of Louis' head and on the arm rest of the couch, and drifted off into a slightly squished but cozy sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.

* * *

 

Louis tried to stretch when he woke up, only to gasp and topple backwards. He curled up as he hit the ground, making a startled squawk. Luckily the fall hadn't been as bad as he was anticipating.

"Louis?" Harry's voice garbled groggily. "Oh! Oh babe, did you fall off?"

Louis opened his eyes in surprise, coming face to face with the leather of the couch, "You're not Harry."

"Are you talking to my couch?"

Hands gently wrapped around Louis' arm to help him sit up, and his hair was brushed back from his face by large hands as he blinked against the bright light from the window far behind the couch. Harry's face came into view, and Louis smiled softly, "I might have been talking to your couch, yes."

"C'mere."

Louis struggled back off of the cold floor, crawling back onto the couch with Harry and wiggling close, "Makes sense why I fell off now. I'm surprised I didn't fall off sooner."

"Well I had tried to fall asleep holding you tightly so you wouldn't," Harry murmured, kissing Louis' nose. "It appears that it didn't work."

Louis froze, slumping weakly in Harry's arms, "Today's Monday."

"Shh," Harry said softly. "We won't talk about that today. We can worry tomorrow."

"You have to work tomorrow," Louis whispered. "I'll be all by myself until nearly 6pm."

"You can still escape," Harry reminded him.

"And then I'll be all by myself for even longer," Louis shook his head. "I'm staying here with you. But I was thinking... will you get in trouble for letting me live with you? After I've been taken in, I mean."

"As long as it's not affecting my work, no one at the bureau, including Agent Payne, has a say in who I'm allowed to date. Currently you're not allowed to live with me, but after you've been cleared by the court you can live with me for as long as you please. Even if you are still doing community service."

"Won't they know that it's your address?" Louis asked in confusion.

"Yes, they'll know," Harry nodded. "Payne can't necessarily fire me though. He can, however, relocate me to a different team where I'd be downgraded from lead agent."

Louis frowned at that, examining Harry in disapproval, "I don't like that, then. You're supposed to be a lead agent, you're lead Agent Styles."

"Yeah, but you're small and cute and I want to keep you here with me forever."

"I'm a grown man, Harry. I'm not small and cute," Louis sighed, but he cuddled further into Harry anyway. "You're a no-nonsense agent and you like cuddling."

"I think it's impossible to dislike cuddling no matter who you are," Harry laughed. "But don't tell anyone I like cuddling. I'll definitely get ribbed for it."

"You're needy."

Harry simply hummed, slipping his hand beneath Louis' t-shirt to stroke at his back, "How are you?"

Louis sighed, kissing Harry's exposed collarbone, "Sad... today is our last full day together."

"Please don't be sad," Harry murmured. "You'll make me sad. I already am sad. So you'll make me sadder."

"Will you make me breakfast?" Louis asked hopefully.

Harry reached up to tug lightly at Louis' hair, kissing his forehead as he chuckled, "So you're using me, I see how it is. Make me feel guilty to get something out of me."

"I'd like to get something in you later on, as well," Louis replied cheekily, and Harry gave a surprised laugh.

"Louis!" he scolded. "It's too early for such talk."

Louis simply snuggled closer with a shrug, "I'm going to top. Either today or tomorrow. It's my last wish before I'm... y'know."

"You're not dying, Lou," Harry replied.

"I could die in prison, the guards wouldn't even care," Louis mumbled. But he didn't actually think he was going to die, he was just normally prone to being a bit dramatic.

Harry, on the other hand, squeezed Louis tightly, "Stop that. Remember what I told you yesterday? Nobody's going to touch you. If they touch you, I'll raise hell."

"How will you know?" Louis asked.

"Well for one, you aren't going to be in prison long enough for me not to know," Harry said determinedly. "Two, I've got this badge, yeah? I just flash it, show them my ID that states I'm lead agent, and I'm in. I could probably fucking walk into your cell and dance with you. That's how much access I would have."

"Could you come in and cuddle with me like this?"

"If only... but you're going to be right back here with me before we can even miss each other," Harry declared. "Now budge up, I'm going to make breakfast. You can stay here if you'd like."

Louis shook his head as he climbed to his feet, "I'll come in the kitchen with you."

Harry started to work, getting out the ingredients for pancakes while Louis sat on the table, his chin resting in his hands and his elbows on the tabletop. While Harry was in the kitchen, his long limbs were nearly clumsy, bumping into things and knocking things over. Yet he'd witnessed Harry at crime scenes before, and at those Harry certainly was not clumsy. He almost had a sort of dominant elegance to him. You knew he was in charge, and it was clear that he was good at what he did. No clumsiness was present at all.

But Louis found it cute, and wanted to watch Harry knock things about for the rest of his life. Harry could feel Louis' gaze on him, and he glanced around with raised eyebrows, "Yes? It's impolite to stare, you know."

"I want to touch," Louis declared, standing up to close the distance between Harry and himself so he could pet over Harry's arms, his back, his bum. He grinned then, lightly squeezing Harry's bottom and making the younger boy squirm away. "Cute butt."

"How old are you?" Harry huffed, but he didn't protest when Louis' hands made grabby motions at him and came to settle on his hips.

"I'm the perfect height to rest my chin on your shoulder," Louis declared. "We were destined to be."

"You're tiny and foldable," Harry replied. "I can curl you into a ball and squeeze you into my chest. Now I love you, but you're in my elbow room and I'm trying to make you pancakes, here."

"With sugar and lemon?" Louis asked hopefully.

"You would be the one who wants lemon," Harry chuckled. "Why not jam? Golden syrup? I don't have any lemons."

Louis sighed dramatically, "Jam will do, I guess."

"Sit your arse down in a chair, Tomlinson," Harry demanded. "Don't make me break out the handcuffs."

Louis sat down, but he continued to try and press Harry's buttons, "You know what would be really kinky? If I used the handcuffs on you."

"No way," Harry denied. "The handcuffs during sex was just my mind drugged up on medication."

Louis stiffened, "You said you were in a good state of mind! You lied!"

"No, no!" Harry protested.

"Dick," Louis rose up from his chair and flounced from the room. Harry sighed, watching Louis as he left, but decided instead of rushing straight to apologise he would make Louis' pancakes. He set to work heating the pan before he sifted the flour, and whisked it together with the eggs, milk, and water before melting a bit of butter in the pan.

He was fairly certain he made way too many pancakes, but he could always save them in the fridge and eat them if he didn't feel like cooking something within the week. And something told him that after Wednesday he wasn't going to feel like doing anything but filling out paperwork to get Louis' trial as fast as he could. He put him and Louis each two pancakes on two plates, but instead of getting out the jam he began digging through his cabinets. He didn't have fresh lemon for Louis, but he was certain that he had lemon juice somewhere.

And much to his excitement, he found it. He sprinkled it over their pancakes, added sugar over the top, and rolled up the pancakes before putting a bit more lemon on them. He grabbed both he and Louis a fork, and then carried the food towards the living room. Harry peeked around the corner of the kitchen however, looking into the front room to find Louis looking rather sad as he picked at the fabric on his pajama pants.

The younger man slipped Louis' pancakes in front of him on the coffee table, setting his own plate down as well, "I'll get you some juice?"

Louis simply looked at the floor, but he didn't decline the juice, so Harry brought back two glasses full of it. Louis icily took the glass from him, "Thanks."

"I promise I didn't lie..." Harry murmured. "I liked sex with you. The handcuffs were just a bit extreme."

"Well I liked them," Louis pouted, but he picked up his fork and cut off a piece of pancake. Harry watched hesitantly as Louis took a bite, but then much to his relief, Louis' face lit up. "Lemon?"

"It's not fresh, but- oomph," Harry was cut off as Louis' mouth connected with his in a joyous kiss.

"Thank you!" Louis grinned as he pulled back, leaving Harry slightly stunned. "These are great! My mum used to make them for me all the time and I've missed them."

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?" Harry asked.

"One condition."

Harry's nose scrunched, something in his gut telling him he more than likely knew what the condition was, "Does this condition involve your cock and my arse?"

"You really could be Sherlock Holmes," Louis declared. "You're very wise."

The younger man groaned, but he didn't give Louis an answer. He simply began eating his breakfast. Louis seemed to think he had won, Harry could tell, because he was humming as he stood with his empty plate and juice cup. He pointed to Harry's nearly empty plate, and Harry lifted the last bite to his mouth so he could give Louis his dishes. Louis practically danced out of the room, and Harry followed him to dry the dishes.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"So..." Harry began conversationally as he dried the wet cup Louis handed him. "What do... you want to do today? I'd say we could cuddle all day but we need to make the most of it."

Louis wiggled his eyebrows, "Do you not remember what we discussed earlier?"

"Other than that!" Harry huffed. "We can't do that for the entirety of today."

"I don't know, I just want to spend time with you. Anything his good," Louis shrugged, handing Harry the last plate as he drained the water in the sink. "What do you want to do?"

Harry scratched the back of his head, setting the drying plate onto the cabinet, "Um... we could... play cards?"

Louis sighed, but turned around and plopped himself down at the kitchen table, "Why the fuck not. Let’s do this."

Ten minutes later, after digging for the cards, shuffling, and dealing, the two men found themselves in a very heated card game. Both had cards tucked into their hands, shielding the lower halves of their face as they peered at one another over them. Harry quirked a brow, "...Got any nines?"

"Go fish."

"Liar!" Harry declared, removing his cards. "I've asked for sixes, sevens, eights, surely you have a nine!"

"Why don't you try asking for fours?" Louis huffed.

"Got any fours?" Harry sneered.

"Why yes, yes, I do," Louis moved to hand Harry the card.

"Well I don't!"

Louis laughed, tucking his four back into his hand, "Go fish, Harry."

Harry unhappily plucked a card from the deck, his scowl deepening, "It's a four."

"Got any fours?" Louis squeaked, hiding further behind his cards. Harry tossed down his hand, standing up and striding over to Louis' side of the table. Louis giggled as Harry glared down at him, trying to hand him the four. "I want you to have this. You deserve this four."

Harry removed Louis' cards from the man’s hands, placing them on the table before he straddled Louis' lap and pressed their mouths together. Louis grunted in surprise, his arms flying to try and grab a hold on the larger man. Harry was long, and Louis was slightly afraid that he was going to slide off of his lap without him being able to get a grip on the young agent.

Harry pulled back, however, bumping his nose against Louis', "You're a little shit, you know that?"

Louis' hands nonchalantly slipped down to grab Harry's bum, smilingly widely when Harry didn't protest, "Is this card game over?"

"Yes, but we're not having sex," Harry rolled his eyes. "Is that the only reason you like me?"

"Then let's make love!" Louis declared. "And I haven't gotten to top yet, that can't be the only reason I like you."

"What if I told you I wasn't going to let you top?" Harry reached around, moving Louis' hands from his arse to his waist.

Louis made a pouting face, leaning to nuzzle his head into Harry's chest, "That would make me very sad."

The younger man rolled his eyes, wiggling off of Louis' lap, "Let's go watch the telly or something."

Louis frowned as Harry left the room, but he stood and followed. Harry was sprawling out onto the couch when Louis walked into the living room, so Louis tucked himself back up against Harry's chest like they'd done the night before, and Harry wrapped his arms carefully around Louis and wiggled backwards as far as he could to keep Louis from falling off the couch. In the movie they were watching, one of the characters ended up having to go to prison, and Harry almost instantly scrambled to grab the remote from the coffee table, nearly dumping Louis onto the floor in the process.

Louis gave a yelp of surprise, his hand flying around to grab onto Harry's shirt before Harry's arm was securely around his waist once more, "I could have gotten that for you!"

"Sorry," Harry murmured. "I didn't hurt your side, did I?"

"No, you just nearly flung me onto the floor," Louis laughed.

Harry nuzzled into Louis' hair, repeating his apology, "Sorry... I just didn't like that movie anymore. Poor plotline."

Louis turned with difficulty in Harry's arms, "Can we have leftover pancakes for lunch?"

Harry of course agreed, because when he'd last given Louis pancakes it had earned him a very enthusiastic kiss and a crinkly eyed smile. He once again used lemon juice and sugar for Louis' pancake, and Louis kissed the agents cheek as he grabbed his plate.

For the rest of the day the two remained on the couch watching the television, occasionally switching from spooning to Louis laying with his head in Harry's lap each time one of them had to get up to use the bathroom. But eventually, Harry sighed, "I should probably make us something for dinner. Something easy like cheese toasties. If I have to work tomorrow I shouldn't stay up late."

Louis had his head resting on Harry's thigh, but at Harry's words he sat up with an unidentifiable expression, "Oh. Right. Tomorrow is Tuesday."

"Still a whole day..." Harry murmured, although he could feel the growing tension. He'd been fighting it all day, using Louis as a distraction. And he was fairly certain Louis had been using him for the same thing.

"But you're gone for half of it," Louis whispered. "Only two more nights."

"Don't," Harry pleaded. "Don't think about it. Let's just eat dinner, and then... and then... I don't know."

"I just need to lay down for a bit I think," Louis mumbled, but instead of lying in Harry's lap, he turned and curled up the other direction.

Harry's heart sank, and he carefully crawled so that he could lean down and kiss Louis' temple before he got up to make their food. Louis had made his way into the kitchen by the time Harry had pulled out two beers for the both of them, figuring that like the night before they needed something to calm them.

Louis nibbled at his cheese toastie, but he only ate half before he hung his head and stared at the floor.

Harry didn't like seeing Louis upset, liked the sassy Louis that danced around and sang Shakira songs in a surprisingly great voice. Louis hadn't even sat next to him like he usually did, he simply moved the cards that they had never put away and sat across from him. So Harry moved closer, reaching out and touching Louis' hand, "Babe..."

Louis looked up at him sadly, "Why couldn't I have met you some other way? Why did I have to steal and be your enemy before all of this could happen? I've been here for a week and it's undoubtedly been the best week of my life. I don't want to leave here."

And then it was Harry's turn to hang his head, reaching for Louis as he mumbled, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry."

He gathered the smaller man up in his arms, despite Louis' protests of, "You're going to hurt yourself-"

"I won't," Harry assured. He carried Louis into the bedroom, leaving their plates and glasses on the kitchen table.

Harry fell onto the bed with Louis letting the smaller man drape over the top of him as he brought their lips together in a sorrowful kiss. He stroked at Louis' back, his forehead, his hair, all the while not breaking their connected lips.

"I'll miss this," Louis gasped out against Harry's mouth.

"This doesn't have to end just because we'll be apart for a bit," Harry mumbled back, wrapping his longer legs up and around Louis' waist so that the smaller boy was slotted between them. "Make love to me."

"What?" Louis asked in surprise. "You're sure?"

Harry nodded, "Make love to me. I want to feel you close."

Louis looked taken aback, but then he reconnected their mouths as he slowly began to rub himself against Harry in attempts to get them both hard. And it definitely worked, because both were straining against their pants in mere minutes. Harry helped Louis strip off his clothes, and Louis helped Harry before Louis guided the taller man back against the pillows so he could continue to kiss him, grinding their bare dicks together and eliciting grunts and quiet moans from the both of them.

Harry clung tightly to Louis, wanting him even closer although they were already pressed skin to skin, their tongues brushing together as they kissed with open mouths. It wasn't the most intimate thing they had done, but to Harry it was quickly becoming one of his favorite times with Louis, and they hadn't even gotten to the good part.

Louis eventually had them both painfully hard from grinding and palming, and he sucked Harry for a few moments before Harry decided that Louis was too far away. The older man retrieved the lube that had been kicked to the floor the night before, flicking open the sticky cap and putting a fairly generous amount on his fingers. He figured Harry hadn't had something in him for a while, and while his dick definitely wasn't as big as Harry's, he made up in girth what he lacked in length. And even then he considered himself fairly long.

Before he even used his lubed fingers, he relaxed Harry a bit with his tongue. Louis had a love hate relationship with being rimmed since it felt so fantastically great but made him come much too fast, yet rimming Harry was an entirely different story. Harry's eyes were clenched shut, his jaw tight as he twitched and jerked.

But then Harry gasped out, stretching a hand down for Louis, "Too far away-"

So Louis wiggled slightly up the bed, but slipped his lube covered fingers inside Harry. He started with one so he wouldn't cause the younger man discomfort, moving them slowly and crooking them to brush Harry's prostate. Harry was tight around his digits, but after much crooking and twisting, he was three fingers inside Harry, his arm bent awkwardly down so he could stretch up and kiss Harry.

Harry was as vocal as Louis had ever heard him, but he knew from personal experience that being full could bring out sounds that were completely uncontrollable. The young agent had forgotten how great it felt to have something inside him, and it was ten times better when the something was Louis' fingers. He panted and whined, not even caring that the noises he was making were far from manly. When the fingers stroking inside him suddenly vanished and Louis' lips left his, his eyes flashed open.

Louis placed a hand on his chest before he could say anything, speaking softly, "Give me a second."

"No condom," Harry nodded, letting his head fall back onto the pillows as he reached down to stroked his cock lazily. There was suddenly a cold and slick feeling dripping down the crack of his bum, and Louis' fingers softly brushed over his hole. He gasped out, and the wet sound of Louis slicking himself up filled the room. Louis positioned himself, gently pressing Harry's spread legs up towards his chest.

"Is that okay for your abdomen?" he asked gently.

"Louis," Harry grunted. "Just- fucking-"

Louis leaned forward, slowly pushing into Harry as he gently stroked the agents dick and pressed their lips together softly before nuzzle his nose into Harry's, "I'm not hurting you am I?"

"Jesus," Harry shook his head, his limbs wrapping tightly to Louis.

Louis had to move down slightly, the angle too weird, but he could still kiss Harry's mouth and his neck as he bottomed out and whispered, "You're the world’s largest koala."

"Move," Harry pleaded.

Louis nodded, attaching their lips together as he pulled out in the slightest only to push back in, grinding his pubic bone against Harry and making the man arch beneath him as he moaned into Louis' mouth. Louis sucked on Harry's neck, wanting to mark him so it'd be visible on his neck at work. The only two who would know it was Louis were Niall and Zayn, the others would just assume Harry had a girl. But in reality, Harry didn't have a girl. Harry had Louis, and Louis was strangely smug about it as he began to rock a bit harder into Harry.

Harry was moaning into Louis' ear, spurring on the smaller man. The agent had no idea that letting Louis top would be so fantastic. He figured that an arse like Louis' couldn't go to waste, and Louis was small and Harry could entirely fold him in half, but Louis was moving sweetly inside of him, making him feel great, making him feel loved. Needless to say, he wasn't going to protest much anymore if Louis wanted to top after they got out of the mess they were in.

Before long, Louis shifted again to an angle that must have done something right for Harry, because the man's breath hitched in his throat, and he cried out loudly as he tried to rock his hips down to meet Louis'.

"There?" Louis hummed.

"Fuck, shit," Harry garbled, nodding his head. "T-there. Please. Harder. "

Louis complied, nipping Harry's jaw and tonguing back over the mark he'd made on Harry's neck, "I love you."

Harry seemed far gone, simply babbling out curse words, but his large hands scrambled at Louis' back, "I love you, too."

The smaller man slowed down the motion of his hips as he felt himself nearing his orgasm, his balls tightening up. He didn't want to slip over the edge until Harry had come, so he slipped a hand between them to tug at Harry, "M'really close..."

"Oh f-fuck," Harry moaned from between gritted teeth. Louis could feel his thighs trembling where they were wrapped around his waist. "I- I'm gonna come. Just- harder. I'm gonna- oh fuck"

Harry's words turned into a high whine as Louis felt the man's dick twitch in his palm, and then Harry was coming hard all over their chests. Louis sped his hips up once more as Harry clenched tightly around him. Harry's long arms made their way to Louis' bum, slipping the tip of an index finger inside, and it was all too much. Louis cried out, shuddering with muscles spasming as he spilled inside Harry, slumping weakly onto the agent.

"Holy shit, Louis," Harry whispered, stroking at Louis' sweaty back and hair. "That was... your hips don't lie, Shakira."

Louis gave a breathy laugh, burrowing his face into Harry's neck, "It was alright? I didn't hurt you or anything?"

"No," Harry assured. "I asked you to make love to me, and trust me, you made me feel loved."

"That was the goal," Louis murmured. "Good news. We didn't mess up the sheets, just the comforter."

"I can put it in the washer before we shower," Harry stretched slightly, but then his nose scrunched. "You're still inside me."

"Right, right," Louis began, but Harry stopped him from pulling out by grabbing his bum.

"It's not uncomfortable yet... when it is, we can shower," he told Louis.

The older man nodded, "I'll toss the comforter in the dryer tomorrow while you're at the bureau."

"Don't we need the comforter tonight?" Harry frowned.

"Nah, the sheet is good enough," Louis explained. "You radiate such intense body heat that I nearly burn up when I wake up in the mornings. We'll just have to cuddle extra close."

"Deal."

"Plus I need something to do tomorrow. I'll clean your house, maybe. I want to distract myself from your absence as much as possible."

"Maybe I can come home early..." Harry said softly. "Tomorrow is... you know what, let's not talk about that. Let's just go shower, I'm getting achy."

Louis pulled out his softening cock, "I probably would have just slipped out of you eventually, but then the come would dry on our chests and that's just..."

Harry nodded, patting at Louis so the man would roll off of him. When they were both up, Harry tossed the comforter into the washer before he made his way to where Louis waited for him in the shower. It was seemingly becoming a routine for them: making sweaty messes out of one another, showering together, and then cuddling in bed until they fell asleep. However, Louis began talking about Wednesday in the shower, upsetting himself once more, so Harry dropped to his knees, bent Louis over so the man could use the shower wall for support while his thighs quivered, and Harry rimmed Louis until he was babbling and spurting onto the shower floor, the water washing the sticky mess down the drain.

After drying and brushing their teeth, they climbed into bed without bothering to put on clothes. Harry spooned Louis from behind, too anxious to even think about growing hard. Louis was exhausted from receiving two orgasms, but he remained awake as Harry spoke quietly in the darkness, "We never did the dishes, but that's alright. We left the television on as well."

"Harry..." Louis whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Please get me back to you as soon as you can... I can't come to you this time, you'll have to come get me," Louis said nervously. "Let's just hope they make it easier than I did."

"I always swore I'd catch you eventually," Harry assured. "So don't worry yourself, alright? Let me do the worrying. I'll catch you and I'll drag your ass back here to me. And after that... whatever happens, happens. But they won't be as clever as you, so let's hope it doesn't take me a year."

Louis nodded frantically, "Not a year. I deserve more than a year, I know, but I don't want it."

"You don't deserve a year," Harry sighed. "You don't deserve two weeks."

Louis didn't respond for a few moments, but he changed the subject, "I should let you sleep so you aren't tired in the morning."

"Robin Hood..."

"Frog face."

Harry grinned, nuzzling his face against Louis' damp hair, "Mine was a compliment, you ass."

"So was mine," Louis replied. "I love frogs. Especially if they have egg shaped heads."

"I think your sassy side is my favourite," Harry hummed.

"You love all of me, admit it."

"I do. I love all of you."

"And I love all of you, from your gangly legs to your frog face," Louis giggled, turning and kissing Harry's jaw. "I'm going to sleep now, and you should too. Wake me up when you get me out of prison."

Harry sighed, nodding his head and snuggling Louis closer. Louis' breathing eventually evened out, but Harry couldn't sleep. And when he did sleep, it wasn't a decent sleep. He woke up repeatedly from dreams of Louis being beat up in prison, his small form pinned down and hit, kicked... and much worse. Dreams where he couldn't do anything to help Louis' punishment lessen. The smaller man in his arms provided him with some form of comfort, but after Wednesday Harry knew such dreams were going to be absolute torture. Because he'd wake up alone, and his dreams would be half true. Louis'd be in prison. He could only hope that the other part stayed a horrid nightmare.

And tthen at 6:00am when his alarm went off, and he smacked it off as quickly as he could to let Louis sleep, it was nearly painful for him to pull away from softly snoring man. But he kissed Louis' forehead before he got dressed, after he got dressed, and once more before he left. And he certainly didn't cry in his car as he drove to work.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

* * *

 

Because Harry had dawdled around at his house, grabbing more blankets to cover Louis with since the comforter was dirty and he wasn't there to keep the man warm, he arrived later at the bureau than he normally did. He scrubbed at his eyes as he sat in his car, glancing at himself in the rear-view mirror to make sure it wasn't too noticeable that he'd been crying. Niall and Zayn wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Once he was satisfied that his cheeks were no longer tear stained and his lashes were no longer damp, he exited his vehicle, went into the bureau, and rode the lift to their floor.

Nearly everyone was already present, and the moment the lift opened with a ding, Harry saw a blonde head poke out from a cubicle, and a wide grin spread across his face as he called, "Hiya, Harry!"

Zayn's head appeared from his cubicle as well, arching an eyebrow, and Harry and Niall both joined the dark-haired man as he frowned at Harry, "Usually you're the first to get here."

Harry ran a hand over his face, "Had some things to take care of."

"Nice love-bite that you've got there," Niall snickered.

"Is that why you're late?" Zayn grimaced.

Harry shook his head, "No, no... just made sure everything was in place at the flat before I left. He was still sleeping."

Zayn suddenly stood from his desk chair, peering at Harry's eyes, "...Are you _high_? Your eyes are red."

"What?" the lead agent pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing in exasperation. "No. I'm not high. I'm tired. And you're already giving me a headache."

"Hungover, then," Niall nodded in sympathy.

"No!" Harry shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm fine. You two are- get to work. We've got loads of paperwork to file, and I need to talk to Payne about getting the Grimshaw case back."

"You're not getting it back," Zayn declared. "This case is different than Tomlinson's. Tomlinson never threatened you. Grimshaw did. You were targeted, so you can't be the lead in a case where you're targeted. They gave it to Agent Murs. He's back in the bureau as well."

"Plus we actually don't have much paperwork to file..." Niall replied in relief.

"That's great, because I could use a slow day," Harry groaned, running his hands over his face.

Zayn glanced at his computer, "So... tomorrow. Am I going to do it or are you?"

The lead agent frowned, not following where Zayn was going, "What are you talking about? Am I going to do what?"

"Tomorrow is Wednesday..." Zayn reminded, and Harry's heart sank. He looked away from Zayn, turning to exit the cubicle. "I'm fucking doing it, I don't want to discuss it further."

And with that, he was storming from the cubicle to go to his own, flinging himself down at his desk and yanking open the drawer that held the cameras and phones filled with footage of Louis. If Louis would just run away, Harry wouldn't have to take him to a dangerous place and leave him. Louis could be safer. But he also wouldn't get to see the man, and Louis would never get to see his family again. He'd have to hide for the rest of his life, because something told Harry that Louis wasn't going to be thieving anymore.

Niall slipped into the cubicle behind Harry, his voice soft, "He didn't mean to like... make you mad. He trusts you."

"I just don't like talking about it."

"He was trying to ask if it would be easier for you if he did it so you didn't have to," Niall explained.

Harry hung his head, keeping his voice down as he explained, "Louis wants me to do it. He said it would make him feel better if I do it, which doesn't make much sense, but..."

"I'm sorry..." Niall sighed, reaching out hesitantly to touch Harry's shoulder. He knew that physical comfort for Harry could either earn a smile, or it could make Harry angrier. But Harry didn't react with either, he simply slouched further in his chair. A sign of defeat. It brought a startled gasp from Niall, and Harry looked up at him.

"He doesn't deserve to go to jail."

Niall winced, whispering quieter as a few other agents walked past, "But Harry, he's stolen so much jewellery. Literally, probably more jewellery than this building is worth-"

"He hasn't stolen _that_ much," Harry rolled his eyes. "And what he _does_ steal and sell... it doesn't go to him. He showed me where he took the money. He took it to a fucking foster home for like nine kids. They all called him Robin and they loved him. Like Robin Hood. He's a goddamn Robin Hood, Niall."

The blonde was staring wide eyed at Harry, but he gave a low whistle as he shook his head, "Shit... this makes things difficult then. Because he was still stealing but like... the place the money went needed it?"

"Tina, the lady who fostered all the children, said that the house was about to be taken from them and all the children spread out to homes where they'd constantly be bouncing around. They wouldn't have a solid place to stay until they were adopted. But Louis helped them. He gave them everything they needed and more."

"I don't know if that's going to make the judge more lenient with the severity of Louis' punishment or not," Niall shook his head slowly. "But we'll give it a damn shot. Are you and Zayn the ones who will 'question' him? Before they come to take him to a holding cell?"

"Yes."

"It'll be okay for him," Niall soothed, noting the stress on Harry's face. All the exposures of emotions were new for the blonde agent, he was used to a fairly closed off Harry. The one who was usually serious and focused unless he was amused. "The holding cell, I mean. They won't be too harsh on him I don't think. He's just a thief, he's not a murderer or rapist or anything horrible like that. They won't put him with those people."

"You've got a good point," Harry nodded, feeling a tad relieved. "But some thieves are violent. And in prison where it's only guys and there aren't girls some guys could get... desperate. And if they found out that Louis was gay they'd be complete assholes and assume he wanted it from every guy when it all honesty he probably wouldn't look in their _direction_ because he's all mi-"

"Agent Styles?"

Harry leaned around Niall to see another of their standing there, and he nodded, "Yes, Agent Hale?"

"Just wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow for some reason, sir," the man chuckled at himself. "Sorry, I'll get back to work."

"Right, right, you're fine," Harry waved a hand nonchalantly. "Carry on."

When he looked back to Niall, Niall was smirking down at him. Harry glared, but Niall only smirked larger, "He's yours?"

"Oh, shut up," Harry snapped. "You're being really daring today, Horan, respect your lead agent."

"Pardon me, I've forgotten that only Louis is allowed to make fun of and argue with you," Niall rushed out before darting from the cubicle to avoid being hit with the stapler Harry grabbed for.  

The curly haired agent sighed deeply, slumping backwards in his chair and closing his eyes, just wishing he could get back home to Louis already. Their _last_ day together, and he was stuck at work. But he had to push the thoughts away, because unlike in his vehicle, there were people around, and lead agents didn't cry.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Louis woke up much colder than he would have liked. He had taken his personal space heater for granted, would have much rather been sweating all over Harry than to have been waking up all by himself. But he sat up, examining the mass amount of blankets he had draped over him that hadn't been there when he fell asleep.

He needed to start cleaning and doing things before he could focus on Harry not being there, on what would happen the next day. Tugging on clothes of Harry's, he went to find the comforter already in the dryer. There was a note placed on top, and Louis picked it up.

 _Robin Hood,_ _  
_I know you wanted something to do while I was at work, but I put the comforter in the dryer for you._  
 _I wanted you to have something to keep you warm while I was gone, and I know you like dragging it around like some sort of cape. Try not to get it too dusty, I don't want to wash it after you’re gone... plus if you wear it all day, I'm hoping it'll smell like you. Don't think about why._  
 _I love you and I mean it._  
 _Egghead__

Louis' mouth formed a smile, and he slipped it into his pocket before he lifted the dryer lid and pulled out the comforter, folding it in half so it wouldn't drag the floor when he draped it over his shoulders. And then he set to work keeping himself busy. He made Harry's bed, aside from putting the comforter on it, swept and vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen, and cleaned the bathroom. But by the time he was finished, it was barely noon.

So he made himself the messiest lunch he could just so he'd have to clean it all back up again, but that barely killed an hour and thirty minutes. When he'd cleaned possibly everything he could, even cleaning the windows and dusting, he was left with three hours to spare as he sat on Harry's couch and tried to flip through the channels to distract himself. Yet, he still ended up rolling over onto his side, his back to the television, as he picked nervously at the fabric of the comforter and tried to burrow down inside of it, wishing Harry would just get home already.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Harry was pacing around their floor of the bureau, as Niall and Zayn watched. They knew that Harry didn't want to be there if they didn't have anything to do. Harry eventually walked into Zayn's cubicle, placing his palms on the desk, "Surely I can go home... there's nothing to do here, I need to be home. It's our last day before..."

"Get the fuck out of here," Zayn huffed.

Harry blanched, glancing to Niall before he looked back to Zayn, "But knowing my luck a call will come in..."

"And if it does, we'll handle it," Niall insisted.

"Go be with Robin Hood," Zayn smirked.

"You know about that?" Harry shook his head in confusion, and Niall raised his hand.

"I told him... so that he'd kind of lay off of you about tomorrow. And so that he'd know that... Louis really is a good guy," Niall shrugged.

The lead agent inched towards the exit of the cubicle, "So if Payne asks..."

"You went home because your injuries were still bothering you and the floor was positively dead. We're not on the Grimshaw case anymore, and obviously Tomlinson isn't causing any trouble," the corners of Zayn's mouth twitched up. "Leave. Go for it. Run to your Robin Hood."

"Well I'm not entirely sure if he's _my-_ "

"Harry, shut the hell up, you said he was yours earlier!" Niall accused. "We get off in two hours anyway. It's already 3pm. Leave!"

The lead agent nodded, rushing from the cubicle to head towards his own, calling over his shoulder, "You two are the best friends a man could have!"

Zayn and Niall's eyebrows shot up, and they exchanged surprised looks. Zayn was dumbfounded, but Niall shrugged, "We should have found Harry a Louis Tomlinson a long time ago."

"Maybe he's just nicer now because he's frequently getting some..." Zayn murmured.

Niall chuckled, but he shook his head, "No... I don't just think it's that. Louis does something to him."

"Yeah, sucks his dick," Zayn grumbled.

"Always the pessimist," Niall huffed. "Look, those two were way too domestic at dinner Saturday just for their relationship to be based solely on sex. There's something else there... although there is a year’s worth of sexual frustration, but that's not the point!"

"Harry was walking stiffly," Zayn declared. "Their relationship so far involves a lot of sex."

Niall simply sighed, shaking his head as he walked from the cubicle.

Harry, on the other hand, hand sprinted out of the building so fast he was sure it was a record. Generally he needed more coaxing, but there was a feathery haired man at his house that he really wanted to kiss, so he didn't need much persuading. Somehow, Louis had managed to gain Zayn and Niall's trust as well. But then again, he was Louis. He could win anybody over.

As Harry started his car, a sudden jolt of realization raced through him. If his friends, the only two people that knew Louis was at his house, would agree not to tell anyone, he didn't have to take Louis to jail. Louis could have totally disappeared off the face of the earth for all London knew. Louis wouldn't have to leave him. The very thought spurred him on, and he raced from the bureau's car park. As soon as he reached his house, he'd tell Louis his plan, invite Zayn and Niall over for dinner, and plead with them not to have Louis taken in. He felt guilty for doing it to his friends, felt guilty as an agent, but he couldn't bear to part with Louis so soon.

While he continued to drive down the road, his phone began to ring. He winced, almost not wanting to answer it since he figured it was Zayn or Niall calling him back to head to a scene, but he knew that he had to answer it. He removed a hand from the wheel, fumbling a bit for his phone in his holster, and then managed to answer it without looking at the screen.

"Styles."

"Grimshaw," a slightly familiar voice chuckled, and Harry stiffened, automatically checking his mirrors to see if he was being followed. He wasn't.

"Prove it," Harry hissed, considering pulling his car over. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"Well you'll see once you're home," Nick chuckled. "Those idiotic agents from the other team like to do drive-by checks of your home since you wouldn't let them bug it. They're not careful in doing so at all, I'm surprised _you_ haven't noticed them."

"You're at my-" Harry spluttered. "I have a gun on me at all times, and I'll pull over right now to call for backup."

Harry flicked on his flashers, starting to pull his car onto the side of the road, but then Nick continued, "And I have Louis Tomlinson."

Harry slammed on his brakes, nearly sending the phone tumbling from his grip and locking his seatbelt painfully around his still slightly bruised chest, "What?"

"I found him asleep on your couch... I assume he wanted to warn you about me? He's a sly one, and I told him of my plan. I don't know how he knew that I was going to act today, but-"

But Harry wasn't listening, his heart in his throat, "If you fucking hurt him I swear to God-"

"Hurt him?" Nick scoffed. "He's agreed to side with me. But I don't know why you'd even care if I hurt him, you've been unable to catch him for years. And I caught him."

Harry shook his head, but then his bewildered mind remembered Nick couldn't see him, "You're a damn liar. He tried to shoot you before."

"Why would I lie?"

"Let me talk to him," Harry demanded.

"He's a little tied up right now..." Nick explained slowly.

"I'm calling for backup," Harry snarled, but Nick only chuckled.

"Go for it. They won't be able to help you."

The call ended, and Harry stared at his phone in panicked disbelief. Nick had Louis, and he _knew_ Louis would never agree to help Nick. Nick could've been hurting him. He fumbled, cursing at himself to remain calm. In any situation he could keep his head level, he was trained to. But this wasn't a normal situation. This was Louis who was possibly in danger. He managed to dial Zayn's number as he floored it once more, having not even pulled entirely off the road.

"Mal-" Zayn began.

"Fucking-" Harry spit out, scrambling to find words. "Nick Grimshaw. I think he's at my house. He said- he said he had Louis, I-"

"Breathe, Harry, what are you saying?" Zayn asked sharply.

"Get Agent Murs team, get our team, I just need backup at my house!" Harry croaked.

"Okay Harry, just pull over and wait until we-"

"No."

"No?" Zayn gasped. "Harry you don't know if Grimshaw is armed or-"

"I know he might have Louis and that's enough for me to make my decision," Harry said firmly, and then he hung up, stuffing his phone back into the holster. He wished he was in one of the bureau's vehicles so he could switch his lights on, but luckily there weren't any cars on the long stretch ahead of him.

By the time he was swerving onto the road leading to his house, he was already certain that his heart was going to pound through his bruised chest. He could feel the rapid thumping in every limb of his body, and he knew his fingers would be quivering with an adrenaline if they weren't clenched tightly on the wheel. He yanked the vehicle into the driveway, barely letting it park before he wrenched the keys from the ignition and scrambled out. He didn't see any strange vehicles around, but he whipped his gun from his holster and sprinted up the steps, barging into the house.

A startled yelp sounded from the couch, and Harry froze as he found himself aiming the gun directly at a confused and messy haired Louis. Louis blinked, "Um..."

Harry lowered the gun, "Are you alright?"

"Are you?" Louis asked nervously, inching around the front of the couch to walk towards Harry.

But Harry strode forward then, pulling Louis into a tight embrace and looking all around, "Nick Grimshaw, he said that-"

Louis jolted, twisting in a panic from Harry's grasp, "You heard from him again? Oh God, what-"

"He said he was here, he knew you were at my house!" Harry shook his head in confusion. "He said you had sided with him but he wouldn't let me talk to you, and-"

"No one's here," Louis soothed. "It's just been me all day... but how did Nick know I was-"

"Shit, there's agents coming," Harry's eyes widened in horror. "It's the other day happening all over again, you need to hide."

"Harry!" Louis seized Harry's face gently in his hands. "How did Nick know I was here? He would have had to seen your house to know I was here..."

Harry placed his hands over Louis', "I don't know, but we don't have much time... take my gun."

"What?!" Louis gasped.

"Well I don't need it if I have backup, but you're going into the woods!" Harry insisted. "You have to hide, they can't find you. I... we're going to try to keep you here with me. Instead of taking you to jail. Would you stay here with me?" Louis gaped at Harry, but Harry quickly kissed him and slid the gun into his hand, "Think about it. Now go hide. Work your magic, Robin Hood. Robin Hood never gets caught."

"Usually..." Louis reminded, but he gave Harry one last peck before he raced to Harry's room and scrambled out the window, mindful of the gun he clutched. His stomach, however, was doing flips. Harry didn't want him to have to go to jail at all anymore. He didn't know how it was going to work out, but if Harry wanted to keep him and had a way that Zayn and Niall would never take him in either... Louis would accept. He didn't want to leave Harry anyway.

Harry had raced back out into the front yard, prepared to tell everyone that he was sorry and that Nick was bluffing even though he'd called. Or at least he hoped Nick was bluffing. He knew he could show them the call from the unknown number as proof, and he reached for his phone in his holster. But the space where he kept it was empty, he realized that had to have dropped it when he was in a frenzy in the car. He rushed to grab it, opening the door and digging around in the floorboard before he spotted it pushed under his seat. His fingers had just curled around it when he heard the click of a gun cocking.

He froze, turning around slowly and hoping that Louis was just messing around with him, but a dark haired man wearing a large smirk was standing a few feet in front of him, the gun aimed directly at Harry's forehead, "Hello, Agent Styles."

"You're a liar," Harry hissed. "You didn't have Tomlinson."

"You're right, but that sure got you here fast, didn't it? You're always rushing into things aren't you? You want all the glory for yourself. Thought you could capture both Tomlinson and me, I bet."

"You've figured me out," Harry lied, his eyes flicking to the woods towards the back of the house. He hoped Louis was safe. He reached for his gun in his holster, but his fingers brushed the empty space, and his eyes fluttered closed. He hadn't been expecting anything like Nick Grimshaw, and Louis had his gun.

"What happened to 'I have a gun on me at all times'?" Nick snickered.

From the end of the road, there came the sound of sirens, and Harry's heart pounded faster as Nick squirmed slightly. Harry forced himself to keep a calm exterior, "I don't have a gun, but I do have backup."

"And they're far too late," Nick rolled his eyes. "I do, however, want an audience for when I splatter your brains all over the interior of your car. That'll look nice on it, thank you for leaving your car door open."

Car brakes screeched, and then Zayn's voice bellowed out, "Harry!"

"Agent Malik, is that you?" Nick chuckled.

Zayn came racing around the front of the car, but he froze when he saw Harry at gunpoint, whipping his own gun up to aim at Nick, "Fucking drop the-"

"No."

Harry looked to Zayn, shrugging slightly. Nearly sixteen more agents came around the vehicle forming a sort of half circle with Zayn and Agent Murs in the middle. Niall pushed his way through, his eyes widening as he saw Harry, "Christ..."

"Agent Styles has gotten himself in quite the predicament, hmm?" Nick chuckled. "If only he wasn't so greedy for the credit of capturing me. He could have waited for you all, but he didn't."

"You threatened him, Grimshaw," Zayn spat, and Harry felt slightly relieved that none of the agents seemed to be believing Nick's lie. "He had no choice but to come here. He couldn't wait for us."

"I did nothing of the sort!" Nick placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "None of that matters anyway. I'm still about to blow his brains out."

"Pull that trigger and I pull mine," Agent Murs hissed. "In fact, drop the gun or I'm pulling the trigger."

"No can do, Murs," Nick sighed. "But I'm willing to go, I think. Everyone will know my name. The man who killed Agent Harry Styles."

Nick adjusted his feet positioning aiming the gun better at Harry, and Harry looked to the ground.

Louis was in brush behind Harry's house. He hadn't climbed the evergreen tree, he'd been too afraid to do it with the gun in his hand. So he couldn't see the front of the house. He could, however, hear a loud commotion, one that was lasting far longer than it should have. Something still didn't feel right in Louis' gut, so he inched along the tree line, trying to remain in the shadows and behind the thicker of leafless branches. And when he could finally see Harry's front yard, terror knocked the wind out of him.

Nick Grimshaw stood with his gun pointed at a curly haired man. A curly haired man that was defenseless because Louis had been selfish enough to accept his gun. Louis swallowed hard, wracking his brain for a plan. Other agents all had their weapons pointed at Nick as well, but as long as Nick was watching them they couldn't do anything. It took Louis only two seconds to make up his mind, and then he was moving as stealthily as he could towards the dark haired man.

His shaking limbs wanted to panic. One wrong move could make Nick pull the trigger, and Harry would be killed. Louis wasn't sure if he could handle that. But he knew that if he could sneak up on Harry, the best damn agent there was, then he could sneak up on an idiot like Nick Grimshaw. All of the agents had eyes only for Nick and Harry, and Louis was stunned that they couldn't see him as he was slinking so plainly across the grass. He was visible to them, although he was silent, and Nick should have been the only one being surprised.

But of course Harry, the one who should have been more focused on the gun aimed at him, looked almost instantly to Louis, horror briefly flickering across his face as he gave a quick head shake. Louis ignored him. He didn't want to fire at Nick with the gun he still held for fear of hitting Harry, but he could get Nick's attention away from Harry. Or he hoped that he could.

Harry could only watch in terror as Louis, who was supposed to be safely hiding, was inching his way up behind Nick. And then he heard a sharp intake of air as one of the other agents saw Louis, and then _all_ of the agents saw Louis. The man's cover was blown. They'd found him.

"What?" Nick snapped, his hands tightening around the gun. "Stop trying to distract me, there's nothing behind me! That's not going to work!"

"Sure about that, Gremlin?" Harry heard Louis chuckle lowly, and then Nick was whipping around. Louis dove at the same time that two shots fired out, and Nick and Louis both toppled to the ground.

"No!" Harry gasped, lunging for the two men that were crumpled on the ground with the rest of the agents right behind him. Louis was draped on top of Nick, but Nick shoved him off as he patted at himself frantically.

"Oh God!" Nick cried out. "I've been shot, I'm hit?! I can't even feel it but I'm bleeding."

Louis was still lying face down in the grass, and Harry's heart was in his throat as he punched Nick, before he fell to his knees beside the smaller man, gently trying to turn him over.

And Harry nearly vomited. A dark red stain was spreading across the gray t-shirt that Louis wore. There was a hole on Louis' right side, up towards the top and far side of his ribs. A panicked sound escaped him without his control, "No! An ambulance, f-fuck! He needs an ambulance! Someone-"

"Harry!" Zayn was suddenly next to him, hissing in his ear. "You don't know him well Harry, you can't make a scene, come on now, get up-"

"Get the fuck off-" Harry started, but then Agent Murs was kneeling by Louis as well as a few other agents dragged off Nick in handcuffs.

"Does he have a pulse?" Agent Murs asked, not fazed by Harry's panicking. In the back of his mind Harry knew he shouldn't be panicking, he dealt with things like this all the time, it was his job. But this was _Louis._ And Louis' blue eyes were closed, his long lashes contrasting with the man’s face that seemed to grow paler by the minute.

"I don't- I haven't-"

"Are you going into shock, Styles?" Agent Murs looked at him in surprise, his attention momentarily drifting off of Louis. "Are _you_ hit?"

"No. He saved my life," Harry choked. "Again. He's fucking stupid and he-"

Zayn's palm thrust out in front of Harry's face, "Um... I think the shot went clean through him. Turn him over... if there's a hole on the other side of him as well it's a clean shot and he's a goner."

"There wasn't a hole in his back, I turned him over!" Harry snapped. "Fucking call him a-"

"There's an ambulance coming," Agent Murs assured. "And he's got a pulse..."

"He's losing too much blood," Harry tried to force himself back into staying calm, but his hands were shaking and he was starting to see black spots dance across his vision.

"This is one of the bureau's bullets," Zayn said softly. "This wasn't meant for Tomlinson. It was meant for Grimshaw. Grimshaw fired his gun, too, but he must have missed." 

Agent Murs was pushing up Louis' shirt, then, his nose scrunching at the bullet wound. Harry's stomach churned and the sight of the blood. He'd seen large amounts of blood before, but this was Louis' blood. Louis' blood was precious. He didn't think that Louis should ever lose that much blood.

"The bullet didn't go all the way through, so I think it's safe to apply pressure since the bullet isn't going to puncture more organs. The man is even breathing still... but it's not quite a graze, so-"

Agent Murs had begun to apply pressure, but then Louis suddenly cried out, and Harry's heart nearly shattered. Louis' breath caught in his throat, a gurgling sound coming from him as he begin wheezing, and Zayn gasped, "Oh shit... I wonder if the bullet broke his ribs."

"Fuck!" Agent Murs swore. "It did, it did I can feel it. I'm such an idiot, I don't know how I didn't notice. I've punctured his lung, goddamn it."

"Punctured lung," Harry's hand flew to Louis' injury. He had to force all the panic he was feeling into good adrenaline, he had to use it to help Louis. Or Louis was going to die. And Harry wouldn't be able to bear that. "A bandage with petroleum jelly, right? To seal the chest wound so-"

"To prevent the air from sucking in and out of it, yes," Agent Murs nodded. "But I think he's going into hypovolemic shock."

"And it's not the shot that most often kills," Zayn murmured softly, remembering from training. "It's the shock."

Harry stiffened, his hand flying to Louis neck in a sort of cradling fashion. He wanted to be touching Louis, he wanted Louis to open his eyes and smile up at him. But he could feel Louis' pulse thumping much too fast beneath his fingertips. He was just simply glad there was one at all.

"I'll grab the first aid kit," Agent Murs mumbled, looking at Zayn. "Watch Styles, too, Malik. He's off, and I can't figure out why."

Harry was kissing Louis' clammy the forehead the moment Agent Murs left, shaking his head, "No. No, only your feet are allowed to be ice cubes. The rest of you can't be cold. You fucking come back to me right now. I already told you that there was no escaping my frog face and egghead. You don't get to make me fall in love with you and then leave me. Wake the fuck up, come on. What the hell were you thinking? Who attacks an armed man? You're so, so stupid!"

"Harry..." Zayn mumbled in slight surprise.

But then Harry crumbled just a bit, breathing hoarsely as he kept his hand pressed gently over Louis' wound. It was still bubbling horrific large amounts of the sickly warm and sticky fluid, and with each of Louis' rasping breaths, Harry cracked even further, "I didn't mean that. You aren't stupid. I'm so sorry, Louis, I'm so sorry this happened to you. It's all my fault. Please don't leave me."

Agent Murs returned then, and Harry was forced to compose himself. The other lead agent examined him however, arching a brow, "Perhaps you should let me handle it?"

"I'm fine," Harry lied. There was no way in hell he was leaving Louis' side.

"I really hope this bandage holds him," Agent Murs said slowly. "I swear he's worse than when I left to get the bandage and petroleum jelly..."

"He's not," Harry said firmly. "Don't say that."

The siren of the ambulance could be heard, and Harry felt a large amount of relief wash over him. The ambulance pulled straight into Harry's yard, and several paramedics leaped out, dragging a stretcher from the back. They wheeled it through the grass towards Louis, and Harry, Zayn, and Agent Murs all helped lift Louis onto it so he wouldn't be jostled.

Harry was walking straight alongside the stretcher when Agent Murs caught his arm, "Agent Styles."

The curly haired man was forced to stop, "What-"

"You aren't required to make sure Tomlinson is watched at the hospital. Payne moved me to this case as well. One of my agents informed him that Tomlinson had been caught... we told him everything that happened... and I was given the case. You did well, though. You-"

"I still need to go with him."

"I'm going with him, and several of my team mates are going to make sure he doesn't leave the hospital... if he survives."

"No!" Harry protested. Louis was going to survive. He had to survive. "Agent Murs, honestly, I'm riding in the-"

"C'mon, Harry," Zayn was suddenly seizing Harry by his shoulders and jarring him away from Agent Murs. The lead agent gave Harry an apologetic look as Harry thrashed against Zayn, but then he climbed into the back of the ambulance where Harry couldn't even hear Louis' wheezing anymore. All the agents aside from Niall and Zayn had cleared out or were clearing out, and Niall came racing over to grab Harry who was cursing and swearing as he tried to free himself.

The ambulance backed up, and then it was speeding back down the road the way it came, and it was taking Louis with it.

"No!" Harry yelled out. "No, I have to make sure he's alright! He can't- fucking let go of me, what the hell are you-"

"Saving your career and keeping you out of prison!" Zayn snapped, his grip tightening on Harry. "They don't know about you and him, Harry, they can't! You nearly exposed you and Louis!"

"They took him," Harry wheezed. "He's hurt and they took him."

"He looked horrid," Niall whispered.

"Fuck you," Harry spat, making the blonde wince. "He's fine. He's fine."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Niall touched Harry's shoulder, but Harry fell to his knees in the grass, his arms curling around himself as tears finally dripped down his face. His hands were still covered with Louis' blood and he begin to frantically rub the grass to try and wipe it away. "I really am sorry."

"He's fine," Harry croaked out, choking back a sob. "He's fine, right? Just last night he was calling me egghead and he was fine and this morning he was snoring when I left and he was fine and-"

Zayn and Niall looked at each other in shock and despair, because Harry Styles, the strongest, greatest lead agent in all of London, could actually be broken. Zayn reached down for Harry's arm, and much to his surprise, Harry didn't fight him as he struggled to pull Harry to his feet. Niall moved to help, and Zayn tugged at Harry's shirt sleeves, not wanting to remind the younger man that Louis' blood still stained his hands, "Let's go in and call Agent Payne. We're going to make him put us back on this case, and then we're going to the hospital to check on Louis. As agents it might not be acceptable, but after 5pm we're not agents for the rest of the day. They can't have a say in what we do, and if we want to visit Louis, we're going to visit Louis."

"He's fine?" Harry gurgled, and Zayn briefly worried that Harry was going into shock. But then Harry shook his head. "He wasn't fine. He's not fine. But he has to be. He has to be okay."

The lead agent let his friends lead him into the house. He knew that they were only trying to help, but he resented them for tugging him away from Louis. Louis was hurt all because of him, and if he lost Louis, he was going to make sure Nick Grimshaw got the absolute worst punishment there was before he would quit his job, and no doubt slowly lose the will to do anything. He'd only known him for a week, but he already saw no future for himself without the blue-eyed, sassy, Shakira singing boy pushing his cold feet against Harry's ankles each time he closed his eyes to sleep. If Louis died, a part of Harry, if not all, would die, too.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

* * *

 

Niall and Zayn made Harry sit on the couch, after he'd scrubbed his hands clean of Louis' blood for a good eight minutes, while they called Agent Payne, as he kept trying to go back out to get into his Range Rover.

"You're not driving," Niall told Harry gently. "I don't care what you say, but we'll drive you to the hospital. Maybe we should have them look you over as well, just to make sure-"

"I'm not going into shock," Harry snapped. "I just need to see Louis. Now if you would be as kind as to-"

"Shh!" Zayn hissed, and then quickly began to speak as Agent Payne presumably answered. "Agent Payne, sir. Agent Horan and I are still at Agent Styles' with Agent Styles. We were just curious as to why we were removed from the Tomlinson case when we're perfectly capable of-"

Zayn paused, his eyes flickering onto Harry. Harry simply looked away, his eyes falling onto his comforter that he figured Louis had abandoned, "Oh..."

"Shhh," Niall hushed gently.

"Gotcha," Zayn sighed. "Okay. That makes sense, sir. But can we know what hospital he's at? Alright... thank you."

Like always, Agent Payne hung up without a farewell, and Harry waved off Niall's hands so he could reach the comforter on the floor, "Well?"

"Uh," Zayn scratched his head in a stalling manner. "Harry-"

"Tell me," Harry clutched at the comforter tighter. He hasn't smelled it yet. He knew it'd smell like Louis. And he was terrified that Zayn was about to say they couldn't have the case back because the criminal was deceased. But Louis wasn't a criminal. Harry's heart couldn't handle it if he was deceased.

"He said the case got too personal," the dark haired man swallowed hard. "Since Tomlinson kept saving you. You're not being accused of anything... but he feels that it's for the best."

Harry felt relief wash over him, but then the worry was spiking right back up in his chest. He still didn't know how Louis was. Didn't want to focus much on it until he was at the hospital with the man, "Let me up."

"We still have a bit before we go to the-" Niall tried.

"I don't care that we're still supposed to be working, I left over an hour ago! I'm not an agent for the time being and I'm going to see Louis, goddamn it! What hospital is he at?"

Zayn suddenly turned and strode into the kitchen, and Niall looked after him in desperation. He wasn't too fond of being left alone with Harry. But Harry didn't give Niall any trouble, simply buried his face into the comforter and breathed in deeply. Like he had expected, it smelled like Louis. But there wasn't hair tickling his jaw and face, wasn't cold feet touching his ankles, and there wasn't grinning man insulting him and softening the blows by snuggling against him, "Why the hell did he tackle Grimshaw? I had back up, why did he-"

"He was afraid for your life and didn't want anything to happen to you. What would you have done?" Niall interrupted.

"That's different! I'm trained for that stuff and I'm about the same size as Nick. Louis is... he's a thief and he's tiny, he's not decent at combat. He's more about stealth than power..."

"It might seem different to you, but it probably didn't seem different to Louis. You were in danger and he wasn't going to stand by and let you be the one who ended up getting shot. He's not trained but he's got a soft spot for you-"

"He loves me," Harry whispered, lifting his face from the comforter. "And I love him, I was going to try and see if he could stay with me. I wasn't going to turn him in."

"I wouldn't have minded," Niall replied. "He kept you off our asses. And by that, I mean he made you happy. Not sure how being insulted and teased all the time made you happy but-"

Harry gave a sad smile, "He told me he didn't actually think I had an egghead."

"But you kind of do mate-"

"I will punch you square in the throat."

"Right," Niall said slowly. "Only Louis can speak to you like that."

Harry's shoulders slumped, "I need to see him. I've got to make sure he's okay, he has to be-"

"Harry," Zayn came back into the room, holding his phone out towards the lead agent. "Someone wants to speak to you."

The man sat straight up, his eyes widening, "Louis?"

"Not even remotely."

Harry angrily snatched the phone from Zayn then, snapping into it, "Styles."

"Well hello to you too..."

"Mum," Harry croaked in surprise, and then he looked at Zayn in disbelief. The man had called his mother? "Do you need something?"

"Zayn's worried about you," she replied. "And so now he's got me worried. Care to explain what's happening? Don't you dare lie to me, Harry Edward. Don't make me come over there."

"I'm just really worried about someone and my oh so lovely teammates won't let me go see them," Harry huffed. "At the hospital. He's hurt all because of me and I... I need to see him. To make sure he's okay."

"He keeps repeating that, Anne," Zayn called out until Harry gave him a seething look.

"I'm not the one hurt. He saved my life."

"You're saying that this person saved you," Anne said uneasily. "What's their name and how did they save you exactly? Or do I even want to know? I know that you're great at what you do, love, but I'm a mum and your job makes me a little more than just uneasy."

Harry inhaled a deep breath, deciding he'd tell his mother everything. He'd wanted to do it in person, wanted her to meet Louis herself, but now he couldn't even see Louis and he just wanted someone like his mum to tell him that everything would be alright, "Do you remember hearing about Louis Tomlinson?"

"That cocky thief that always sassily mocks you through videos that he leaves at crime scenes?" my mother asked. "I remember hearing you complain about how much you disliked him, why?"

Harry gave a strangled laugh, "Oh God, because I don't dislike him anymore. I... I fell in love with him?"

Anne was silent for a few moments, but then she spoke slowly, "Harry... is this some sort of joke?"

"No, mum," Harry said softly. "I fell in love with him. He's unbearably sweet. You've seen him, right? Madly beautiful."

"He's the sassiest little fucker ever," Zayn grumbled. "Not to me, of course. I'd break his stupid arms-"

"You wouldn't fucking touch him," Harry stood, feeling his heart clench as Zayn talked about Louis in such a way when Louis was hurt. Zayn instantly held up his hands.

"Whoa, whoa-" he motioned for Harry to sit back down. "Note to self... if Louis is injured, don't insult him."

"Mum," Harry turned his attention back to the phone. "Just trust me. Louis' not bad. About an hour ago Nick Grimshaw had me at gunpoint and I was completely defenseless. There were two whole teams standing by, but no one could do anything while Nick was so focused. And then Louis snuck up behind him and diverted his attention, but he tried to tackle Nick at the same time one of our agents tried to shoot Nick, so Louis ended up... being hit. It was all my fault."

"Oh..." Anne murmured. "Is he alright?"

Harry's eyes fluttered shut, his grip tightening on the phone, "I don't know. It... it would have just been a graze? But it broke his ribs. And then a rib punctured his lung. He was going into shock when the ambulance took him from me, and oh God, I don't know whether or not he's okay..."

"Then... I guess go to him, dear. If you're that fond of him isn't he more important than everything else? Even if that includes your job?" she asked, and Harry didn't even have to think about it before he was giving a hum of agreement. Louis was far more important than being lead agent. Harry was prepared to give up anything for Louis. His mother continued, however. "But Harry, dear, don't... be careful, alright?"

"Louis wouldn't hurt me," Harry said softly. "I'll talk to you soon, mum, but right now I really need to go see Louis before I break something. Or someone."

Zayn and Niall both took a large step back, and Niall croaked, "I think we should drive him to the hospital early..."

"Goodbye, mum, love you," Harry said absentmindedly, but then he hung up the phone and marched past Niall and Zayn.

Niall scrambled after him, "Harry at least let one of us drive."

"I'm perfectly capable of driving," Harry told them, walking towards the driver's side of his Range Rover once he'd walked out the front door. But then he paused in front of it, his breath hitching. He could very well see the grass where Louis had fallen. It was splotched with blood, and Harry had to grab on to his vehicle to keep from falling to his knees again as his head spun.

"Jesus Christ," Zayn mumbled, hesitantly grabbing Harry's arm to pry the keys from his hand. "You're not driving, I'm the only one who knows what hospital he's at. We'll take the Suburban so we can turn on the lights, alright? We'll get there faster."

"He lost so much blood," Harry whispered.

"You've seen more blood than that, Harry, come one," Niall urged. "Don't make me hold your hand."

Harry didn't protest, just as long as they were going to the hospital he no longer cared how he got there. Niall let him take the passenger seat, and Zayn flipped on the lights like he'd said he would, "At least they caught Grimshaw. Shit, that man is insane. I think he was just jealous of Louis, that's literally the only reason he had a problem with you."

"He didn't know that Louis and I liked each other," Harry said softly.

"I mean he was jealous that Louis was more widely known," Zayn explained. "Up until now, no one knew who Nick Grimshaw was. And his attempts at fame were pointless because Louis' going to be more well known. A fucking modern day Robin Hood."

"He's brilliant," Harry mumbled, examining his hands, the hands that had once had Louis' blood on them, until Zayn swung out at him.

"Stop that," he huffed. "There's nothing on your hands."

Niall leaned forward, "Just relax, Harry. Even if we were there we probably wouldn't be allowed to see him. If anything, we'd have to stand outside his door and make sure he didn't leave the room when he was well enough."

"I just want them to tell me that he's okay," Harry hunched over in the seat. "I just need to know that."

The two other agents left Harry to wallow in his own self-blaming thoughts, and the moment Zayn was parking in the visitors section of the car park, Harry climbed from the vehicle and strode towards the hospital entrance. By the time Niall and Zayn caught up, Harry was already flashing his badge and asking for Louis.

"Fifth floor, ICU," the nurse murmured, checking a computer. "He can't have visitors as it appears he's being stabilized for surgery. Yet there's a few other agents up there as well... is this man safe?"

"He wouldn't hurt anyone," Harry assured. "Thank you."

He was alive. Harry could hear his own heartbeat as strode for the lift, Niall and Zayn close behind him. As the lift dinged on the fifth floor, Harry rushed out into the corridor, hurrying towards the waiting room where he could see Agent Murs and a few others. Zayn groaned, "Harry wait-"

Agent Murs lifted his head, in surprise, and his eyebrows shot up, "Agent Styles... you're not on this case?"

"No, I'm not," Harry agreed, sitting next to Agent Murs. "But I'm human, and I'd like to make sure the man that saved my life lives. Is that going to be a problem, Agent Murs?"

The man blinked at him, sighing, "I told you to call me Olly. And no. It's not a problem."

"Call me Harry, then."

Zayn and Niall hesitantly sat down on the other side of Harry, waving awkwardly to Olly, "Er... we were his ride here."

"How was he in the ambulance?" Harry asked nervously.

"Well his heart rate kept rising because of the shock, and they were afraid he was going to go into cardiac arrest... but he never did. They said the gunshot wound wasn't even his problem, although his rapid loss of blood wasn't good. But his broken ribs and punctured lung are what was slowly killing him," Olly explained, and Harry winced. "They're performing cardiothoracic surgery, however. So they're going to fix up the tissue damage to his lungs, but they also have to reposition his ribs and fix the tissues punctured by it. They said it was lucky that bullet wasn't lodged in him, because it would have been a messier situation. But it also means a lot of paperwork on my part."

"I'd take that off your hands," Harry mumbled.

Olly blinked a few times, but motioned to Harry with his head, "Come over here with me for a few seconds?"

Harry moved to stand, but Zayn caught his arm. Harry nodded, "It's fine."

The dark haired agent sat back hesitantly as he and Niall watched Harry follow Agent Olly Murs out of ear shot. Olly turned back towards Harry once he was sure no one was able to hear them.

"You know him."

"Zayn?" Harry asked innocently. "Yeah, he's-"

Olly smiled at Harry's quick ability to change the subject, shaking his head, "Slow down. You know Tomlinson."

"No."

"Agent Styles... Harry," Olly sighed. "I'm not going to report you for knowing someone, we can't... control what the people we know do sometimes. Is he related to you? I know he personally singles you out in the videos, I've watched a few-"

"We aren't related," Harry said firmly. "I can't tell you more. I'm sorry."

"But I'd like to understand more as to why you care so much about him. If you don't recall, you saved my ass too when I was shot in the arm," Olly leaned in closer. "But you don't see me following you around and making sure you go unharmed. He means something to you. I'm not an idiot, Harry."

"He's not a bad person," Harry admitted. "Nearly everything he stole, all the money... it went to a fucking foster home for children. They thought his name was Robin."

"How did you..." Olly mumbled.

"He showed me."

"Through a video or-"

"Personally."

The other lead agent was silent for a minute, running his hand over his hair, "Oh. Wow. So... you've been out with him while he's had a warrant out for his arrest."

"Yes. I was going to turn him in tomorrow and he was going to come willingly. Actually, I had changed my mind today. I wasn't going to take him in, he was going to stay with me. And you know why? Because I fell in love with him. He's an idiot, and I'm an idiot, and we apparently found some fucking mutual idiocy between each other and fell in love," Harry angrily whispered. "I could lose my job, but at this point Louis could lose his life. And he's far more important to me than busting drug addicts and being shot at. So please. Feel free to turn me in."

Harry moved to storm past Agent Murs, but the man gently grabbed for Harry's elbow, "Wait... okay. I'll help you."

Harry shook his head, "Wait what?"

"Yeah. I'll help you. Just tell me what you want to do with him and I'll do it. Obviously he's been caught so he can't go back and be with you. But-"

"No, stop," Harry interrupted. "This doesn't just happen. You're the fourth person to just blink at me, shrug, and accept the fact that I'm romantically involved with someone that is one of England's most wanted."

"You're Agent Harry Styles," Olly chuckled. "When have you ever been wrong?"

"These teams are so fucked up," Harry murmured in disbelief, but then offered Olly a sad and grateful smile. "But we trust each other. And trust is more important when you're backing someone up at a crime scene than looking at someone's weak areas."

"And Tomlinson definitely makes you weak, Mr. I Almost Passed Out At The Sight Of Blood," Olly smirked, but Harry winced.

"Can we not talk about the blood? Let's talk about Louis' prosecution," Harry said firmly. Because Louis would be coming home with Harry, he'd be fine. He had to be.

"What did you have in mind?" Olly arched a brow.

"House arrest. My address. Community service for however long they please. If they want a bail, I'll give them a bail. Louis doesn't have a violent history. He wasn't even stealing for his own benefit."

"He doesn't have a house of his own, but I'm not sure if we could give your address without suspensions going awry. Does he have parents?" Olly asked.

"A mum," Harry nodded. "Who he really does want to see when he's no longer wanted under warrant."

"There'll be no holding cell, though, I'll give you that," Olly said. "He'll more than likely go straight from the hospital to the court room."

"No jail time," Harry repeated. "Contact his mother. He said they were close. She'll want to know he's been hurt."

"It's all over the news," Olly said. "If she's not here yet, something tells me she isn't coming."

"I'll call her then," Harry huffed. "The hospital can look up Louis's records and use that to link to his mother."

"The hospital has tried to get in contact with one of Louis' family members. None of the numbers are all up to date, they've all been changed."

"Probably because we wouldn't leave them alone about him," Harry ran a hand guiltily over his face. "Someone at the bureau used to always try and contact family to see if Louis stayed with them. So they changed numbers, I guess."

Zayn suddenly stood and came striding towards them, giving Olly a pointed look, "Is everything alright?"

"Just discussing Tomlinson's persecution," Olly murmured in a guarded tone.

"He knows," Harry explained.

"Oh," Olly nodded. "That's good."

"You, Zayn, Niall, and my mother," Harry sighed, but then he looked to Zayn. "Is someone at the bureau right now?"

"I was actually headed back to pick up my own vehicle," Zayn murmured. "Why?"

"Look up Louis' mother?" Harry asked him. "I don't know her last name, it won't be the same as Louis'. But I think he said her first name was Johannah..."

"I'll just run a background check on Johannah Tomlinson and see where it goes from there," Zayn sighed. "I'm leaving Niall with you, but I'll be back to give you a ride home."

"I wasn't going to go home until they kicked me out," Harry admitted. "And I need to call Louis' mother... or... Olly needs to?"

"You should do it," Olly sighed. "I might be lead agent, but when a loved one or relative is hurt you aren't going to want someone who is about to take them to court. You want someone who you actually believe cares whether or not your loved one lives or dies."

Zayn lightly tapped Harry's back, "I'll get you the number and I'll text it to you, alright. Then I might pick up some food before I come back. Want anything?"

"Not hungry, but thanks," Harry replied, glancing down at his hands. It was almost like he could still feel blood on them. He wanted to wash them again.

Zayn left after asking Niall what he wanted to eat, and Olly went to sit back down as Harry slipped off to the bathroom. He washed his hands several times over before he returned back to the waiting room, sliding into the chair by Olly. The man looked at Harry's red-scrubbed hands, pursing his lips, "He's currently in surgery. They wanted to make sure that we were prepared to guard his door the second he was out. So he doesn't try and make a break for it."

"He wouldn't," Harry mumbled. "He'd stay."

"I really hope he's as good as you say he is, Harry," Olly sighed. "If he's that good, I think it'll be simple for a lawyer to convince the court not to send him to jail. House arrest and community service actually seems achievable. Of course it might not be light house arrest, we're talking only allowed to leave for certain matters and to do his community service, but it's better than prison."

Harry nodded slowly. They couldn't do much else but wait for Louis to get out of surgery, or in Harry's case pray to whoever was listening that Louis was alright. He'd been an agent long enough to know that you gunshot wounds and punctured lungs weren't things you could just brush off. Harry only hoped Louis' body was as strong as his sassy mind. After thirty minutes of picking at the fabric of his pants and nearly gnawing his lower lip off, his phone vibrated in his pocket with a text message.

It startled him, snapping him out of his worry and slight daze as he stood to his feet before he realized that he was standing for absolutely no reason. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sat back down slowly, feeling Niall pat his knee but then go back to talking to Olly around him. But in the text was a number sent from Zayn, reading: Johannah Poulston, I'm thinking this is her. I had to go through a credit card company to get it, but I got it.

Harry stood once more, walking away from the talking agents and holding up his phone to let them now he was taking a call. For some reason, he felt a nearly strangling anxiety as he stared at the call number option his phone gave him. He made calls to family members of people all the time, and in some cases it was to tell them even worse news than what he'd be telling Louis' mother. So he sucked in a deep breath, hit the button, and brought the phone to his ear. It was ringing twice, and then a woman's skeptical voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Poulston?" Harry asked softly. "Johannah, correct?"

"That's me..."

"Hello ma'am, sorry to bother you, but... do you know a Louis Tomlinson?" the agent only hoped that this Johannah really was Louis' mother.

"Not this again!" she snapped. "You're not going to do this to me again, call me about my son one more time and I'll-"

"He's hurt."

There was a sharp gasp on the other side of the line, "He's what? My son, my Louis? What's happened to him, is he-"

"He's in surgery right now," Harry murmured, telling her which hospital it was. "How far are you from London?"

"I'm in London," she whispered. "I... I need to come see him. I don't know if he'll want me to, but-"

"He'll want you to," Harry assured. "He misses you. He's... he's going to turn himself in so that he can finally be free of his crime. So he can see you and his sisters. But we're going to make sure he won't go to prison. It's really fantastic that you live in London, because if you'd be willing he could be under house arrest at your residence."

"Yes, yes!" the woman sounded as if she were in tears. "I'm willing, I'm more than willing. My poor baby. We've missed him so much. He can have Lottie's old room, she's at university. She lives with a friend there, but I'll have to call her and tell her to come down. She'll want to see Louis. We all want to see Louis, I- wait. Who is this?"

"I'm... a friend of Louis'," Harry said, which wasn't entirely a lie. But he felt guilty, so he sighed. "But I'm also Agent Harry Styles."

"You son of a-"

"No, no, ma'am!" Harry insisted desperately, but then he dropped his voice lower so that no one around could hear. "I- your son and I are on good terms, he... he's stayed with me for the past week because we had a deal. I was going to give him a chance to do a few final things before I took him to jail, but in that short amount of time he's shown me that he doesn't belong in jail. And he's shown me that he has the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met. Please come see him, you don't have to pay any mind to me and I'll make sure you aren't harassed by any of the agents. I'm not even on Louis' case anymore, but you cannot tell anyone what I've told you. Promise me, Ms. Poulston."

She was quiet for a few moments, but she finally breathed, "Jay. Call me Jay. And I won't tell anyone right away... but if Louis tells me something other than what you've just told me, then you better bet I'm telling anyone that I possibly can."

Harry blinked in surprise, instantly noticing where Louis got his sassy attitude from, "Yes ma'am... call me Harry."

"I need to gather the girls and call Lottie," Jay sniffed. "Okay."

"They should let you up since you're family," Harry said. "But if they don't, call me back and I'll come down to get you."

"Alright. Thank you. Goodbye."

"See you soon," Harry murmured, hanging up the phone and running his hand over his face. Louis was going to need his mother, and Harry was more than happy to reunite them. Because he needed Louis, and he needed Louis to get past his injury. He went and sat back down with Olly, looking at the older lead agent. "Lo- Tomlinson's mother is coming."

"Really?" Niall asked. "That's... that's good."

"You don't have to call him Tomlinson in front of me," Olly murmured under his breath.

"Olly, don't let any of your agents question her. That's not what Louis wanted. He purposely shut down all forms of contact with her so she wouldn't be bothered. She has nothing to do with his decisions."

"Okay, Harry," the man nodded, turning to the few other agents. "Listen guys, Tomlinson's mother is going to be here, but she's not needed for questioning. So don't even try. She knows nothing."

Harry waited about another twenty minutes before a man came out in scrubs, observing the agents in the room curiously, "Which... one do I talk to?"

"Us," Olly stood, pointing to Harry as well.

Harry stood in surprise, expecting that Olly would just tell him what the doctor had said, but the doctor didn't lead them away to tell them anything. Harry took it as a good sign, but his heart was still racing as the man began to speak, "So the surgery went well. We've fixed the damage done to his lung tissue by making a small incision a little under his left armpit, which was also good for his ribs since they needed realigned and taped. He's also been put in a brace as well that he must be wearing at all times for the next six weeks, perhaps further. But we'll check how his ribs are healing in six. He's been given a blood transfusion, and his side has been healed with stitches that can be removed in about two weeks."

"When do you believe he'd be able to attend court?" Olly asked. "Obviously he needs to be properly healed."

"He could more than likely go in a wheelchair once his stitches have been removed," the doctor said. "He's still unconscious and he's being moved to his room, and he's on quite a lot of painkillers. We'll have to let him wake up to make sure he's fine, but for now he'll be sleeping. Once he's settled we're going to try and remove the ventilator so his lung can start healing almost immediately. We don't want his lung growing dependent on it."

"I'll have agents that'll be taking shifts outside his door all throughout his stay. Just to make sure he doesn't try and make an escape. But he's harmless, so you don't have to worry there," Olly told the doctor.

"And he'll live?" Harry asked, trying to keep himself as professional and composed as possible.

"He'll live," the doctor nodded. "It's like whoever he was shot by wasn't even trying to hit him. I'm going to go make sure he's situated in his room. He'll remain in the ICU until further notice since damage was done to a major organ. I'll be back to show you his room and retrieve chairs for your agents to keep guard in."

Harry's knees nearly went weak with relief, and while Olly thanked the doctor, Harry continued to stand in the same spot while the doctor walked away. The other lead agent tugged gently on his arm, "Come sit while they make him comfortable."

"He's okay," Harry breathed. "He's going to be alright..."

"Harry, look over by the lift," Olly instructed.

And Harry was forced to snap out of his dazed relief as a brown haired woman came in, with three girls hurrying in behind her. Two still seemed quite young, but one seemed like she could be nearly out of schooling if she wasn't already, and the oldest was ushering the two younger ones. They walked straight to the desk of the ICU, but Harry hurried to meet them, "Jay, yes?"

"Jerry?" she asked.

"Er... Harry," he nodded. "But yeah. Same thing."

The three girls behind Jay eyed Harry skeptically, and Jay narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you know about Louis' condition?"

"He's okay," he told them, a large grin spreading across his face. "He'll be alright."

"What happened to him, I never even asked... I was just so relieved to hear about him. Well, not that he was hurt, but-"

"I understand," Harry nodded. "He's wanted to contact you... but he didn't want them to bother you."

"Over a year," she said softly. "Without a call or anything. I knew what he was doing because of the news. That's the only way I knew that he was alright."

"He's," Harry gave a fond smile. "He's something special. Clever as anything. There's a reason no one caught him. I didn't even catch him. He came to me. To warn me that my life was in danger, but that was after he'd already saved my life. And he's hurt right now because of me, because he saved my life for a third time and ended up with a bullet to his side because of it-"

"He was shot?!" Jay gasped, her hands flying to her face.

"Yes," Harry whispered. "More of just a graze, the bullet didn't enter his body. But it made him bleed pretty badly and broke his ribs... and then his lung was punctured, which is why we're here right now. But he's alright. His surgery is done, they've fixed his ribs. Come sit over away from the rest of the agents with me? You can ask any questions you have."

Jay made sure to keep herself between Harry and the girls, but she followed him to the far corner of the waiting room. Niall gave Harry a concerned look, but Harry waved him off. Almost immediately Jay was looking sternly at Harry, "I want you to tell me right now why you even give a damn about my son if you've been trying to take him to jail for over a year."

"Because I'm in love with him," Harry said wholeheartedly. "And Louis is in love with me. I was going to wait for him so we could tell you together, but I said I'd answer any questions you had."

"Is he in love with you?"

"I think he is," Harry nodded. "He... he said he was. And he saved me."

Jay bit her lip, rubbing her eyes, "Alright. He's okay. That's all I'm asking for."

Olly suddenly came over, interrupting the conversation, "Harry, they're taking us to Louis' room. Would you want to...?"

Harry stood instantly, but then he looked to Jay, "Um... take her to see him first. She's his mother. I'll just have to wait a little longer to see him."

"Why don't you both just come?" Olly frowned.

"I'll stay here with Daisy and Phoebe," the oldest of the girls spoke up. "Go see Louis. But... I'll get to see him, too, right?"

"Your brother is going to come back to you," Harry assured her. "You're getting him back where you'll see him constantly."

Jay pursed her lips, eyeing the agents on the other side of the room, and Olly shook his head, "The only one staying is the blonde and dark haired one. The others are coming with me."

Harry looked in surprised to see that Zayn had returned, much to his surprise, and he shook his head, "They... they won't bother you. They're too busy eating."

The older girl nodded, "Go, mum."

"Okay. Alright, show me where Louis is."

Harry almost bellowed out an agreement. He was more than prepared to see the blue eyed boy. But he knew he'd have to wait a bit before the blue eyed boy's eyes were open. So he followed Olly, the other agents, and Jay through the ICU's two large metal doors and into the hall as the doors closed behind them with a loud sound. They were led to a room where a nurse waited for them, eyeing them as they arrived, "Only two people in a room at a time, and one has to be the lead agent."

"Jay and Agent Murs here," Harry said, stepping aside with the other agents. "They'll go first."

And so Jay nodded frantically, and Olly led her into the room, the door being closed behind them. Harry could hear her sobbing from inside, and it made him uneasy. But Louis was fine. She was simply glad to see him after such a long time of not having any contact with him at all. However, he almost felt resentful that he'd sent her in first. She was in the room for nearly an hour, and only exited when a nurse, who had been coming in and out, went in and told her that visiting hours for the ICU were long over.

She was still sniffling as she left, but she caught Harry's wrist before she walked away, "Thank you. For calling me."

"You'll be back to see him?"

"Every day until he can come home."

"That'll make him really happy," Harry smiled.

A nurse walked Jay back to the waiting room, and Agent Murs motioned for Harry to go in the room, "She said one has to be a lead agent... but she didn't specify which. I'll give you a bit alone with him. He's not awake yet, though, so don't expect much. Oh... and things look a bit grim. But at least you weren't in there when he still had the tube in his throat. They removed the ventilator... I think he still has oxygen tubes in his nose to raise his oxygen levels."

"Okay," Harry winced. "Stop."

But he turned and walked hesitantly in the room. He was nearly blown away at the sight of the man in the bed. So many times before he'd seen people in a far worse state, seen them hooked up to all sorts of machines, but Louis was another story. Louis did not belong in a hospital bed. He was pale, with tubes hooked up to his nose and his hands. He had a cuff on his arm to monitor blood pressure, he was in a gown with the front open to show two white heart monitors, but below them a black brace was wrapped around his middle, preventing anyone from seeing where his surgery had taken place. It was clear that the brace opened to easy access to his incision, however.

But above all, Louis looked incredibly tiny, and Harry wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed with him and cuddle him close. He wanted to tuck the boy's feet between his legs to keep them warm, wanted to stroke his hair and kiss his freckled nose. He wanted Louis to snuggle close and cheekily bite his jaw, mumble, 'egghead'.

Yet instead, he moved close, reaching out for Louis and gently tangling their fingers together. He had to be careful not to jostle the I.V and oxygen monitor clipped to Louis' finger, but he leaned and brushed his lips to Louis'. They looked swollen, and slightly bruised. The agent figured it was from the tubes that had to be placed down Louis' throat. Breathing in a shaky breath, he spoke softly over the beeping of the machines Louis was hooked to, "Louis... it's Egghead. You didn't have to do that. Thank you. But you shouldn't have. You scared the hell out of me."

Louis' closed eyes didn't even flutter, and Harry kissed his nose softly, continuing to talk to him, "Your mum seems really nice. I hope you don't mind that I called her even though you aren't officially off the hook. She was really happy about it. We aren't going to bother her about you, so don't worry. She lives in London as well. So you'll be able to stay with her for house arrest and I can come see you every day. As long as you'll have me. And you're not allowed around guns again, do you hear me?"

Harry heard a nurse entering the room, and he quickly released the man's hand as she walked up to check Louis' IV, "Showing signs of waking up yet, agent?"

"Nah," Harry murmured, and then forced himself to lie. "I'm just ready to interrogate him. See what goes on in his mind."

"Take it easy on him, though," the nurse hummed. "Don't grill him too hard."

"Don't worry," Harry smiled at Louis softly. "I'll go easy on him."

"Good," she chuckled. "He reminds me of my grandson."

The nurse left, and the moment she was out of the room Harry was grabbing Louis' hand again, "How do you win over the hearts of people you barely know? Don't make me jealous, now, isn't my heart good enough, Shakira? Er... whenever, wherever, we were meant to be together. That's a Shakira song, right?"

Harry continued to talk to Louis softly for over an hour, just telling him silly little stories and stepping back nonchalantly when nurses came in the room. He was just so relieved that Louis was okay, that Louis hadn't been killed. He talked to the man until Olly poked his head into the room, "We should probably get going. It's nearly 11pm, and I've got a lot of paperwork to get to. Zayn and Niall are probably ready to go as well, just sitting in the waiting room."

Harry nodded, looking to Louis, and leaning down to kiss Louis' lips, "You better be awake by the time I wake up, Louis. I want to talk to you. Bye, Robin Hood. I love you... and I mean it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second set of twins aren't in this... with the ages I have Louis and what not, they'd already be present and I think I started this fic before we knew about them. Or maybe I just suck. Whatevs. They're not in this.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

 

* * *

 

Harry was in danger, and that was the only thing on his mind as adrenaline sent him flying into Nick Grimshaw. He heard the shots ring out, and he felt the burn. He could barely make out shouting voices over the roar in his ears that followed the stinging pain in his right side. But it was like he was sinking, sinking in water and he couldn't get to the surface. The cold water he sank into felt nice, took away the burning. Yet a large hand kept pressure on his side, touched his face, his neck. It kept him from sinking, and even though the burn was still present, the large hand was comforting and it wasn't dark. Louis quite liked the large hand.

The large hand eventually left him, and more hands grabbed him where he was jostled and jolted and poked with things. They weren't gently keeping him from sinking, they were yanking him to surface by the spot that burned most. He didn't like whoever had him, but luckily for him, they took pity on him and sent him into a dark, lonely, sleep. It wasn't as nice as the large hand, but it was better than the pain.

When he woke up, it was because a bright light filtered through his eyelids, and he wanted to roll over and hide his face into Harry's chest, wanted to go back to sleep. But he didn't feel the larger man curled around him, and he reminded himself,  _he must've had to work._  Yet, a hand squeezed his, and he wanted to open his eyes but they simply felt glued shut. The hand in his wasn't large like Harry's and it didn't feel right, but he squeezed back, gurgling out in a horrid sounding voice, "Egghead... Harry, cuddle with me."

"Louis?" and Louis stiffened, because that wasn't Harry's voice. That was a  _woman's_  voice. "Louis, baby..."

Louis' eyes finally flew open. The ceiling was  _not_ Harry's ceiling, the bed was not Harry's, and he was hooked up to wires, machines, had something in his  _nose,_  and wheezed hoarsely,"Oh God- Harry, help- where is he?!"

"Shh, Lou, Lou..." the hands moved the grab his face while one was suddenly holding his arm firmly but gently. "He's at work, probably, baby he'll be here later on this evening. You're not in danger. You're safe."

"Is he okay?" Louis gasped. His chest hurt badly and he couldn't catch his breath, but to make matters worse panic was pressing down on his chest like a large weight. "Harry-!"

"Look at me..."

Louis finally stopped clenching his eyes closed, stopped clenching every muscle and making his chest scream and his airways constrict. He peeked at the person who held his face, his eyes falling on familiar tear filled blue eyes, brown hair, and his chest tightened up further if it were possible, "M-Mummy?"

"Hi, baby," she gave a teary smile. "It's been awhile..."

"Mum!" Louis croaked, hardly able to believe his mum was holding his hand and petting his hair. They hadn't talked or seen one another in over a year. Louis had been several months past twenty-three when he left his mother’s house. His mother had a decent job, Louis was only in the way and taking up space. He had a job and could help pay bills and buy groceries, but as an adult it bothered him that he lived in his mum's house while he should have his own home. But he wanted to  _do_ something for someone. And so that night, the night he wrote a simple note telling his mum not to worry while he was gone, was the first night he stole, and the Sunday following was the day he found Tina and the kids to give the money _to_.

"We've missed you..." she sniffled. "I'm so glad you're alright."

It hit Louis hard, then, all that he had done. His mother had to have been so disappointed in him, and he croaked out with his sore throat as his mother leaned and kissed his forehead like he was made of glass, squeezed his hands, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, I was bad. I'm not a good person, mum, I- I  _stole so much-"_

"Shhh," she hushed, stroking Louis' hair. "That's over. That's done now, right? You're going to take the punishment for your crime and it's all over. You can start over."

"I am done, on Wednesday Harry is-  _Harry!_ " Louis looked around in bewilderment. He hadn't saw the curly haired agent yet, the last time he  _had_ saw him Harry had been at gunpoint.

A nurse came bustling in, and Jay huffed, "Oh thank God, he's only growing more frantic and I can't get him to calm down, he's so overwhelmed."

The nurse inserted something into Louis' IV bag, nodding, and Louis just wanted to know where Harry was, "He'll relax. Well, he’ll eventually sleep… but he'll relax for a bit. Mr. Tomlinson, don't move around. Don't move your torso or your arms, just lay still. You're quite injured."

"Harry," Louis repeated. "Where is Harry?"

"Why is his voice like that?" Jay asked worriedly.

"From the tubes," the nurse explained, bustling about and changing Louis' bedpan and catheter bag. "He'll be hoarse for several days. I'll let the doctor know you're awake."

"Thank you," Jay smiled. 

"Please..." Louis tried to meet his mum's gaze. He needed to know about Harry. He had his mum, he needed Harry.

The nurse left, already finished with tending to Louis' needs. Louis thought hard, knowing that Nick Grimshaw had a gun the last time he'd been awake. He didn't remember him ever being caught and he didn't remember going to bed with Harry. But it seemed to be earlier in the day than it had been when Nick Grimshaw was around, and Harry was gone.

Jay nodded, patting his arm softly, "He's okay, Louis. He's alright, I talked to him yesterday and he called me this morning to check up on you before he went to work."

Louis breathed a sigh of relief, grunting as his ribs flared with pain and it felt as if a fist was squeezing his right lung, "What happened?"

"You got shot, baby," Jay whispered. "Agent Styles told me about it. How he was supposed to be taking you in today... but he's not now. He's not on this case anymore, but-"

"What?!" Louis wheezed.

"Whatever that nurse gave you is not working," Jay chuckled. "No one is taking you in. You'll be in the hospital until you go to court... and Agent Murs is going to try to get you onto house arrest here in London. You'll live with me, and a police officer will pick you up every day to take you to complete community service. That's the  _best_ they'll get you. They don't want to give you jail time. They... they know what you did with that money. They know you're not bad."

"And you know about Harry," Louis nodded. "He's okay?"

"He's  _fine_ ," she hummed. "Stressing out over you, but he's fine. He's a nice man, Louis. I was skeptical when he told me that he was an agent, but he's alright."

"Okay," Louis visibly relaxed, wincing as his muscles relaxed. Harry was alright. When he thought about it, it almost seemed as if he had dreamt about Harry. But Harry was quoting Shakira lyrics, and he knew that would never happen. "What happened when I got shot? To my body I mean. Did Nick- Nick Grimshaw, was he caught?!"

"He was caught," Jay nodded. "The bullet didn't hit you full on. It was more of a graze, and the doctors said your ribs shielded you somewhat. Anyway... the bullet wasn't embedded in you, they found it in the grass a few feet away. But the shot broke your ribs, and then when they applied pressure to your wound your rib punctured your lung."

"Nick's gun?"

"No," Jay shook his head. "Nick missed. It was an agent trying to hit Nick. Harry wasn't very happy about that one at all, but it wasn't his team."

"Aww, they didn't mean to," Louis smiled sleepily. "Egghead needs to not worry so much."

"So Agent Styles is Egghead...." Jay chuckled.

Louis blushed, moving to change the subject. He couldn't exactly talk about Harry with his  _mother_ , "How are the girls?"

"Good," Jay murmured, thumbing softly over the back of Louis' hand. "Worried about you. If they could come see you, they would. Lottie wants to come down this weekend. She's up at UNI. But the twins aren't old enough and even Fizzy has to have an agent with her. But she doesn't want to come in with an agent. They only let me slip in because I'm your mum."

"I do want to see them. I've missed them all so much... Harry would bring Fizz," Louis mumbled. "If she asked him he would, or I could ask him even."

Jay leaned towards Louis, resting her hand carefully on her chin, "So you like this Harry Styles? The man who was on your case for over a year?"

"Yes," Louis said softly. "I really,  _really_ like him. Love him, actually. I don't just tackle people with guns to protect average people.”

At that moment, a man walked into the room, smiling at Louis, "Mr. Tomlinson... your guards outside the door startle me every time. They say you're not a violent fellow, though... so that's good. It's also good to see that you're up! How are you feeling?"

"Uh..." Louis said uneasily. "Sore? My ribs. They're sore."

"Yes, they were broken," the doctor chuckled. "And your poor voice. It's quite shot for the time being... er, bad word choice."

Louis gave a wheezing chuckle, and Jay looked unamused, "He still looks exhausted. Is he allowed to sleep?"

"Oh goodness, yes," the doctor nodded. "But Louis, make sure to move your legs frequently to keep the blood flowing well through them. We don't want you on your feet yet, but we don't want blood clots either."

"Okay..." Louis nodded.

"And we'll re-bandage your side while we're here," the doctor murmured, and he and the nurse went to the sink to wash up and change gloves before they came back and carefully opened up Louis' rib brace. When his ribs weren't tightly constricted, breathing hurt far worse than it did when his ribs were being held.

"Oh- oh God, it-" Louis grunted, trying not to breathe heavily, but the pain was making him gasp for air.

"Louis, Louis," his mother soothed. "Even breaths... keep them even and small."

He twisted his head to see a row of stitches holding a red and puffy incision. The skin seemed stretch tight, and the doctor noticed Louis' wide eyes, “We didn't need to skin graph. Nearly... the graze wasn't horrible, though. We could stitch it."

They bandaged and wrapped him back in his brace, and it exhausted him further. The doctor murmured an apology to him as they checked his blood pressure and oxygen levels before slowly removing the tubes in his nose. His mother protested, "Is that... are those ready to be removed?"

"He breathes entirely on his own, this oxygen is just pure oxygen and it boosts his oxygen levels without him having to work hard for it. He should be alright now, his levels are high enough. If they drop below a-" Louis didn't catch the number, closing his eyes and relaxing as he felt his mum's hand in his own. He was nearly twenty-five, but he could still hold his mother's hand if he felt like it. Especially if he'd been shot.

But he pictured Harry holding his other hand, stroking his hair, kissing his nose, and it relaxed him even more. It could have been the drugs the doctors had given him, but he passed out almost instantly.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"How do you think Agent Murs is doing with the paper work for Louis' case?"

"Probably better than we would be doing, Harry," Zayn sighed. "You could barely open your desk drawer, you're so distracted. Admit it... Louis drains all of the agent quality out of you."

"I just want to leave and go see him at the hospital already," Harry huffed. "Do you think he's up by now? I don't even know if Jay is there with him or I'd call. I don't want to bother-"

"We had to drag the both of you from the building yesterday," Niall chuckled. "I think she'll be back there."

The lead agent leaned his head down onto his desk, "She was there this morning when the doors opened to visitors. I called her..."

Niall snickered, earning a glare from Harry, and Zayn rolled his eyes, "Well I don't think you're getting out early today..."

"I'm not," Harry grumbled. "I have to go see Payne in an hour. But then I might be allowed to leave."

But it was the longest hour of Harry's life. When he finally rode the lift down to the first floor, walking through the halls to Agent Liam Payne's office, he lightly rapped his knuckles on the door until Liam called out, "Come in!"

Harry slipped in, pointing at the door, "Close it?"

"Go for it," Agent Payne waved a hand.

Harry closed the door, turning to face the agent behind his desk. Like always, he was handsomely dressed, but rather than being clean shaven he normally sported the fair amount of facial hair. It wasn't a beard, but it gave him a manly appearance. He wasn't so lazy that he didn't shave, it was obvious by the amount of time he had spent slicking his hair up into a styled quiff. He had a way of arching his brows and making his brown eyes seem intimidating even to the normally unfazed lead agent.

Liam arched his brows, nodding to the chair in front of his desk. Harry sat down, placing his hands on his knees, "So is this meeting about... yesterday?"

"It is indeed," Agent Payne nodded, leaning forward. "Tell me, Agent Styles. You knew that Grimshaw was at your home. Why didn't you wait for the others?"

"I was being threatened sir," Harry replied softly.

"You were being threatened? Physically?" Agent Payne asked.

"In a sense..."

"I just need to know," Agent Payne sighed. "Because when we have people get shot... that's not good. That's not what we want."

"Right," Harry agreed. "He... he saved my life, Agent Payne. Grimshaw was going to kill me... and Tomlinson purposely distracted him."

"I know, I know," Agent Payne nodded. "That's why I removed you from the case. It became personal. So that's why I'm curious about what I'm going to ask you next: are you at all affiliated with Louis Tomlinson? Or have you been?"

Harry blinked in surprise. This was his boss. He couldn't lie to his boss, shouldn't, but he couldn't expose himself and Louis, "I... he's the criminal and I'm the lead agent. I was on his case for over a year, we kind of just... became affiliated. It happened."

"Not in that sense," Agent Payne sighed. "Outside of work."

Harry's hands tightened on his knees, and he felt his jaw tense up. Agent Payne would know that he was lying. He'd already blown it. So he exhaled, slowly nodding his head, "Yeah. I've affiliated with him outside of work."

"Before or during this case?"

"After," Harry said, realizing that it was the truth. "And during. The news. Remember?"

Agent Payne's shoulders seemed to sink in relief, "I was afraid you were about to tell me you were purposely letting him get away for all these months."

"No!" Harry spluttered in surprised, and then he laughed. "That sassy little... he mocked me. I wouldn't just let him get away. But his case isn't mine anymore. So is it, or is it not true that I  _can_ be affiliated with him outside of work. Say... at the hospital. Because I'd like to thank him personally. For saving my life  _three times_. And if it becomes more than that...?"

Agent Payne narrowed his eyes, "If it becomes more?"

"After he's already gone to court and had everything decided. After jail, or after whatever he has to do. Unless it's house arrest and community service."

The man seemed surprised, sitting back in his chair and poking his tongue around his cheek before he nodded, "I don't have any control of your personal life. Outside of work, if you aren't bothering things related to work... I can't stop you. After court, Tomlinson's case isn't ours anymore."

Harry hummed, "Yes... is that all you wanted to discuss?"

"Basically," Agent Payne nodded. "Hopefully you don't give me reason to call you back in here."

"I won't, sir," Harry nodded, standing up, waving to Liam as he headed back up to their own floor.

Harry didn't dare go home early for fear of making Agent Payne more suspicious. He simply tried to distract himself with busy work until 5:30pm when he immediately left for the hospital, simply giving Zayn and Niall short waves goodbye.

On the floor of the ICU, he held his badge to people as he walked through the large doors towards Louis' room. Two of Agent Murs guards still kept watch outside, and they nodded to him as he walked up, "Agent Styles."

"Hi," he pointed to the closed door. "Can I-"

But then the door was opening, and Jay slipped out, nearly bumping into Harry. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Oh!"

"Ms. - Jay, I mean Jay," he murmured. "You've stayed here all day?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, but much to his dismay she led him away from the door. The door was still in sight where she stopped by a medical supplies cart, but they were out of earshot of the other agents guarding the door. "I couldn't bear to leave him."

"Good," Harry breathed. "I was sitting at the bureau and hating myself because I couldn't be here. Hated the thought that he was here all by himself. I mean, I've had criminals before get injured and no one comes to visit him but he's… he’s Louis and he deserves visitors."

"He was asking for you earlier," Jay said softly.

Harry's breath hitched, and his eyes fell back onto the door, "He asked for... me? Which means he  _is_ awake, when did he wake up?"

"Around noon," she chuckled. "Mumbled something about Egghead and wanting to cuddle."

"Oh," Harry blushed. "He... he asked for  _me._ Well of course if he knew you were here he'd have asked for you I'm sure, you're his mum so-"

"He's twenty-four," she laughed. "He's probably going to be a bit more eager about a love interest than his old mummy. Now get in there and make my baby boy happy."

"He loves seeing you, too," Harry insisted. "The way he would talk about you-"

"Agent Styles. I'm going to go get him dinner. Keep him  _company._ "

"Right, right," Harry nodded, and as he hurried towards the door, she walked out of the ICU. The agents didn't even question Harry as he hesitantly turned the door handle, slipping inside and past the room’s bathroom to see the hospital bed.

Louis' mattress had been elevated slightly, and he no longer had tubes in his nose. His hair was still mussed and slightly dirty looking, but he was beautiful. And alive. He was alive, awake, and if it weren't for his I.V, wrapped up chest, and circles under Louis' eyes, Harry wouldn't have been able to tell Louis was hurt by the happy expression he wore. He hadn't even noticed Harry's entrance, was simply staring down at a book he had. Robin Hood. But Harry's shoe squeaked a bit on the tile as he took a step forward.

Louis looked up, dropping his book, and then he gasped sharply. He winced in pain from the sudden intake of air before he rasped out, "Harry!"

Harry stumbled forward, falling to his knees at Louis' bed and seizing his hand as uncontrollable tears of joy sprang to his eyes. He kissed Louis' fingertips repeatedly, breathing out, "Louis, Louis, Louis...."

"You came to visit me," Louis croaked happily. "Stand up and kiss my  _lips_ what are you-"

Harry scrambled up and leaned gently over Louis, cupping his face and pressing their lips together, "You're insane! You're nuts, there's nearly fifteen guns pointed at you and you tackle Nick Grimshaw and you get shot!"

Louis' eyes were bright and blue like they were supposed to be, weren't closed and he wasn't deathly pale and he wasn't cold against Harry's lips as the older boy murmured, "I love you."

"Wait!" Harry declared, scrambling back and glaring. "No.  _No._  You scared the absolute shit out of me, I thought you were- you were bleeding all over me, all over my hands and my pants. Your ribs broke and you were making a horrible raspy sound and I thought you were going to stop breathing on me. I thought you were going to stop. I  _told_ you before, that you were important and that you mattered to me so why did you- for me- I was okay? I-"

"I was afraid," Louis admitted in surprised, still reaching out weakly to where Harry had scrambled away. "For you, because Gremlin  _said_ he was going to do it. He doesn't mess around. Your agents couldn't stop him while he was watching them."

"But I thought I'd lost you! You made me think I was going to lose you, Louis, and let me tell you, that that's a serious criminal move to make! Robin Hood, fucking stealing my heart and making me love you a-and giving me yours in return only to almost rip that all back away from me again because you're trying to save my  _life-"_

"I won't ever rip my love away from you, Egghead," Louis said softly, making grabby motions since he couldn't stretch to reach Harry. "Come here, please, I want to kiss you. Sorry I scared you. I love you..."

Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat, and he hurried back to Louis' side to mould their mouths together once more, cradling Louis' face as tears dripped from his eyes, " _My_ Robin Hood."

Louis felt the wetness drip onto his nose, and he pulled back in surprise, his heart clenching up as moved the arm on his good side to thumb at Harry's cheeks, "Harry! Are you... are you fucking  _crying_? You don't have to cry, I'm-"

Harry gave a teary chuckle, scrubbing his cheeks and attempting to mock Louis' voice as he quoted him, " _Crying just happens, it's free range."_

And Louis giggled, tugging gently at Harry's curls so the younger man would kiss him some more. The agent instantly pulled back, however, as Louis began making strangled breathing sounds and his oxygen monitor began beeping. Harry's eyes were wide, and Louis only laughed with a pained expression, making his oxygen monitor beep even crazier.

A nurse came bustling in, sighing, "What strenuous thing did you do, Tomlinson? Take it easy! You've got to go back on the nasal tubes for a bit more."

Harry watched guiltily as the nurse helped Louis put the tube on, winking at Harry as she walked out. Louis rolled his eyes at that, "People always trying to hit on the agents. Snog me heavily when you hear her come back in, that way she knows you're mine."

"I'm yours," Harry assured, examining Louis' bright face. He still lacked his normal color, but his  _eyes_ Harry could see the light and mischief in them and that was all he needed to know that his Robin Hood was alright. "I'm all yours."

"My frog face, egghead, agent," Louis beamed happily, trying to sigh but then clutching his chest.

Harry bit his lip, "I know... rib injuries hurt. I've only ever had them bruised. I can't even imagine having them  _broken_. Poor, poor, baby..."

"I'm older than you, asshole," Louis scowled.

"But you're tiny as shit."

"And your ass is small," Louis declared, yet at Harry's look of surprise, he blushed. "I still rather like it. It's cute."

Harry laughed, leaning and kissing Louis' nose, "I'm so glad the banter isn't gone between us. I just wish I could cuddle with you."

"We'll cuddle at my mum's house... if you'll have me..." Louis mumbled. "And if I'm able to have house arrest rather than five years to life in prison."

"It's funny, because I visited you when you were still sleeping and asked you if you'd let me come see you while you were on house arrest. Everyday. Until you can come back to my house. Agent Payne talked to me today... before you say anything, I wasn't grilled. He just asked if we were affiliated outside of work. I didn't... lie? But I didn't tell the truth. I reminded him of the time I communicated with you through the news. And I told him I was coming to thank you in person," Harry rambled, stroking Louis' hair aimlessly and brushing his thumb across Louis' cheekbones and button nose.

"And by thank me you meant you wanted to snog me until my blood oxygen intake levels ran low," Louis huffed with a pout, but then he winked.

"No, I actually feel bad about these," Harry lightly touched the oxygen tubes. "And your poor voice from where they had to stick tubes... it breaks my heart."

"Hey," Louis shook his head, not liking that Harry sounded so upset. "I broke a lung. We're in the same boat."

"Broke a lung," Harry chuckled. "That's so medically inaccurate..."

"Love me."

Harry tilted Louis chin up to look at him, "I do love you. I told you that when you were hit... and when I came and visited you last night. I'm telling you now, and I plan to tell you for as long as you let me."

"And I love you. But you  _were_ here while I was sleeping," Louis nodded. "You see, my brain wasn’t entirely present. I knew you were here I guess but I was still dreaming. Because you quoted a Shakira song and Agent Harry Styles would never know a Shakira song, much less quote one."

"I'd do anything for you," Harry chuckled, leaning and nuzzling his nose against Louis. "Whenever, Wherever, baby."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

* * *

 

Jay eventually returned back to Louis' room, finding Harry reading to the older man from  _Robin Hood_. Louis had requested it even though Harry couldn't cuddle with him, and even though Harry was beginning to feel the horrible night of sleep he had gotten, he couldn't say no to Louis.

"Oh," Louis smiled at Jay as she walked in. "Hi, mummy."

"Hello, baby," she replied fondly.

Harry peered up at Louis over the book, arching a brow and mouthing, "Mummy?"

Louis scowled at Harry, turning his attention back to his mother, "Did you find something good to eat for dinner?"

"I just went back home and had a sandwich, love," she chuckled. "Wanted to make sure the twins were being good for Fizz. Lottie has arranged to come down to see you, so Fizzy should be able to see you soon, as well with Lottie to look after the twins."

"Or I could walk her in here?" Harry offered.

Jay examined Harry for a few moments, shaking her head, "That's quite alright, Harry. Forgive me, but... I'm not sure how trustworthy you are just yet."

"He's trustworthy," Louis frowned.

Harry reached forward and gently placed a hand on Louis' arm, grinning softly, "I understand, it's fine. I'm a... a fed, right? You can never trust those guys."

Louis sighed, his nose scrunching a bit as his ribs protested, "You'll have to trust him eventually, mum... he'll be visiting me every day of my house arrest."

"But I'll be there for that," Jay murmured. "That's different."

"But-"

"You may almost be twenty-five, but you can't sass your mother," Jay scolded lightly. "Now, have you eaten?"

"Sorry," Louis pouted. "And no, the nurse is supposed to be bringing me something."

Jay nodded, tilting her head and looking at Harry, "Aren't you going to get yourself something to eat as well? It seems that you've cheered Louis up quite nicely."

"He's cheered me up, too," Harry hummed, looking to Louis lovingly. "Don't think I can bring myself to leave just yet. I'm alright, ma'am. Thank you, though."

"When did you eat last?" Louis asked, reaching his hand out for Harry when the man leaned down to place  _Robin Hood_  on the floor.

"Um..." Harry pursed his lips, and Louis' brow furrowed at the idea that Harry had to think of when he'd last eaten. "At the bureau Zayn gave me a granola bar..."

"This morning," Louis' already hoarse voice shot up a few octaves. "The last time you ate was this morning? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Harry gave a surprised laugh, "I've been worried about you... I wasn't hungry."

"I'm flattered," Louis huffed. "Now walk your cute butt to a vending machine and fucking get something to eat, you idiot."

"There  _is_ a sandwich shop across the street that has takeaway..." Harry said slowly, watching as Louis' eyes grew wide and slightly hesitant.

"And... you'll come back, right?"

"I suppose I could..." Harry shrugged.

"But you said!" Louis gasped, shaking his head frantically much to Harry's surprise. "Y-You said you didn't want to leave yet! You can't leave me here, I'll be so alone like earlier and-"

Jay took a step towards Louis in concern, trying to soothe the panicking lad, and Harry's eyes flitted onto the monitor above Louis' bed, watching as his oxygen levels began to rapidly drop as Louis' breaths became short and fast.

"Louis," he stood and leaned over the older lad, oblivious to the fact that Jay was about the reach for Louis. He cupped Louis' cheek with one hand and stroked his hair with the other, hushing him softly. "Hey, hey... look at me. Breathe, even breaths. Don't get so worked up, baby, you only just got the oxygen tubes out. "

"He had those out already..." a frown was evident in Jay's tone.

"Er... I kind of made his oxygen levels drop and-"

"So like you did just now," Jay snapped.

"Don't leave-" Louis' hand latched onto the front of Harry's shirt, his blue eyes wide and afraid.

"I'm not, Louis," Harry promised. "I won't even go to the vending machine if you want me here, I'll stay right here with you. Just breathe, yeah? Easy, Robin Hood. I didn't mean to freak you out, I'm right here."

Louis eventually nodded, his hand loosening its grip. He pursed his lips out for a kiss, but Harry could feel Jay glaring at his back, so he kissed Louis' nose and smoothed the hair off his forehead. When he straightened back up, Jay had her arms crossed and her mouth pressed into a thin line, "Could I talk to you in the hall, Agent Styles?"

"Sure..." he said slowly, looking to Louis before leaning down and picking up  _Robin Hood_ to hand to him. "I'll be back before you even finish two pages."

He followed Jay out into the hall, walking past the guards that were still positioned outside the door. When she stopped at the place they had met earlier in the day, she turned to face Harry, "Agents like you think that everyone is tougher than they really are. There's only so much people can take before they break, and I'm afraid you're going to break Louis."

"Wait, what-" Harry tried.

"When I told Louis I was going to get food, he didn't know that you'd be coming in to see him right away," she huffed. "He didn't act like he just did. He didn't freak out or start hyperventilating."

"The pain medicine he's on could-" Harry began.

"What are you two? Are you boyfriends, dating?" she asked harshly.

"I'm not sure..." Harry mumbled. "We haven't really talked about that-"

"Are you going to break his heart? Are you going to decide that your career is more important than what happens to him? Have you  _forgotten_ who he is and who you are?"

"I'm an FBI agent," Harry said lowly. "Louis is an extraordinary man.  And I love him. I don't care what all of London think he's done. In my mind, he didn't even do that. All I see is the man who saved nine children from being taken from the only place they could call home, even though he didn't have a permanent home himself."

"He's expecting a visit from you every day while he's on house arrest?" she crossed her arms.

"And I'll give him exactly that and more," Harry said firmly. "Flowers, candy, cuddles, new books to read, whatever he wants. And if I can't make it that day for some reason, I'll call him and tell him I can't and my stay time will be lengthened the next day. I'll already be staying until you kick me out..."

"I see."

"And I promised him I'd be back before he finished two pages, and he's a bit of a fast reader so I need to get back in there..." Harry explained.

"I just don't want you hurting him," Jay groaned. "I just found him, I don't want him lost again."

"He won't be leaving you," Harry assured. "Now let's go back in there, he'll want you back, too."

That seemed to win Jay over, and the two walked back inside the hospital room. A nurse had walked in and was setting up a tray of food for Louis, asking him, "Do you need someone to help you eat this? Or do you think you could do it?"

"Oh, I've got someone," Louis smiled kindly at her. "Thank you."

The man's gaze fell on Harry, and he frowned sternly at him. Harry looked to the book on Louis' bedside table, his nose scrunching in apology as Jay moved to help the nurse position Louis' bed into a better propped up position without hurting his ribs. The nurse chuckled, patting Louis' foot, "Ring if you need something."

She exited, and Harry walked closer to the tray of food to examine it, "Sorry I didn't make it back before you finished two pages?"

"The nurse almost made me put my oxygen tubes in again," Louis huffed. "But I didn't  _want_ them."

"If your oxygen rate levels get low you'll use the oxygen tubes, do you hear me?" Harry pointed a stern finger at Louis. "Now what do you want to eat off this tray?"

"I'll get you more water, love," Jay told Louis, grabbing his water cup and exiting the room. Louis had refused to drink water from the sink.

"What'd she say to you?" Louis asked almost instantly. "I know that look she had on, she lectured you or something. What'd she say?"

"She just wanted to make sure I was treating you fairly," Harry hummed, leaning and kissing Louis' forehead. "I told her I was trying my best. Now. How about the soup?"

"You do treat me fairly," Louis nodded. "You're wonderful."

"Thank you, love, now-"

"My Egghead," Louis said fondly, reaching his hand out for Harry. "Can I have a kiss?"

Harry grinned, leaning down and brushing their lips together softly, nuzzling their noses together, and then pressing his lips to Louis' once more.

"Oh."

Harry straightened up immediately, blushing furiously as Jay came and placed Louis' water back on his side table. Louis, however, looked quite proud of himself, "Harry, will you feed me some soup?"

"Of course," Harry murmured, avoiding Jay's gaze as he picked up the plastic bowl and the spoon before moving back to his chair and scooting it closer to Louis so he could spoon feed him.

"Share it with me," Louis requested. "I still have a whole sandwich and I want you to help me eat this!"

"You're needy," Harry teased, noticing Jay sit down in a chair out of the corner of his eye. "But that's okay. I kind of like you."

"You love me," Louis corrected hoarsely. "If you didn't you could have just let me bleed out."

Harry grimaced, "Ah. Yes. Let's not... let's not reflect on that. You're better now."

Louis remembered how upset Harry had been when he had first showed up at the hospital, and he nodded his head, "I am better. I've got a shit voice and sore ribs, but I'm alive! And that's all thanks to you, Egghead. Maybe your head is shaped like that because it gives you more room for your large brain."

"I wasn't very nice to you before the ambulance came and got you," Harry mumbled suddenly, offering Louis a spoonful that Louis turned his head away from.

"It's not like I can remember that... did you punch me or something?" Louis asked gently, still trying to keep the situation light.

"No..." Harry hunched over a little. "I... I called you stupid."

Louis let out a surprise bark of laughter, but then his hand moved to brush lightly over his braced ribs, "Ouch... Harry, that's not much of an insult. You've called me worse and I've called you worse. It's how we show our love, we insult each other."

"But that one really ate at me," Harry chewed at his lip. "I was  _yelling_ at you. Because I thought you were leaving me."

"Well I didn't," Louis opened his mouth so Harry would feed him again. Harry obliged, looking upset still, but then Louis held his hand out for Harry's. Harry awkwardly shifted the bowl and placed the spoon in it to free his hand, confusedly taking Louis' in his own. "I'm still with you, Egghead, just like you're still here with me."

Harry chuckled at the nickname, "I always need you around to cheer me up. You're good at it."

"I love you, Harry," Louis' face softened. "And I mean it."

"I love you, too, Louis," Harry murmured. "And I mean it."

Jay, who Harry had somehow forgotten was in the room, got up and walked out. He stared after her in surprise before Louis croaked, "Wait- is she coming back? She didn't even say goodbye!"

"I'm just outside in the hall," Jay called back softly. "Giving you two some privacy, is all... to discuss Louis' er... trial."

"You don't have to," Harry called back, knowing she was only saying stuff about the trial for the guards, but Jay didn't respond.

Louis pointed to his sandwich next, "Can I have that instead? This soup tastes like come."

"Oh."

"You think I'm kidding? Try it yourself," Louis insisted.

"That's alright," Harry chuckled, standing and walking back around the bed for the food tray. He set down the soup bowl, picked up the sandwich, and made his way back to his chair. "How am I supposed to feed this to you?"

"Can I see it?" Louis held his hands out for it.

Harry's brow furrowed, but he handed it over, "Careful... don't hurt your side, please."

Louis pulled it in half, placed one half on himself, and slowly offered the other half to Harry. The lad took it in confusion, and Louis moved his right arm to lay flat on the bed, "Okay... as long as I don't use this arm I'm okay. That's your sandwich, by the way."

"Wait, what?" Harry frowned. "This is your sandwich!"

"Isn't it like a sandwich from the sandwich place you wanted to go to?" Louis tried.

"If the soup tastes like come then I don't think I want to find out what the sandwich tastes like," Harry smiled.

"But you need to eat..." Louis whined.

"I'll eat on my way home, Shakira."

Louis blinked in surprise, "But... would you maybe stay here with me?"

Harry sighed, holding the half of his sandwich to Louis' mouth. Louis kept his lips pressed firmly together, staring at Harry expectantly as Harry finally explained, "Louis, they won't let me stay overnight in the ICU, even if I am an agent. You're still hurt, you need sleep. You can't even move your upper torso yet. If I'm here I'll distract you."

"No!" Louis protested immediately. "I'll sleep right now, I'll prove it. You won't distract me. Please, Harry, I don't want to be in here all by myself!"

Harry didn't want a repeat of Louis' near meltdown from earlier, and so he stood and carefully leaned across Louis to place the sandwich on the tray rather than walking it over, and he seized Louis' left hand, careful of the IVs, "Listen to me. I'm going to be back tomorrow and I'll hopefully have stuff to tell you about your case. Agent Murs thinks you won’t have any jail time before prison. You'll go straight to a trial from the hospital, once you're healed enough."

"But it's during the night that I'll be lonely, I won't be able to sleep!" Louis clung tightly back to Harry's hand, his breathing speeding up again.

"Shh," Harry soothed. "I don't want to leave here either, I won't sleep."

"Harry-"

Harry suddenly held a gentle finger over Louis' lips, stopping his frantic breathing and glancing to his ribs, "Do not hurt yourself freaking out, do you hear me? If you do that, they won't let me visit you at all. You have to relax. Your pain medicine is supposed to be relaxing you, not making you feel anxious. I'll ask them to change it."

Louis' face looked crushed, and Harry had to remove his finger from Louis' lips. He could hardly stand the sad look on the man's face. Louis looked to the clock on the wall, "What... what time do you have to leave?"

"I'll stay until the nurse makes me leave."

"I want to be asleep by then," Louis requested. "Will you turn out the lights?"

"The nurse on shift might want to do some stuff, Louis," Harry said sadly. "I can't. Let's just eat, okay? I'll eat, too. We'll both eat."

So Harry scooted his chair close so he could read from  _Robin Hood_ again while he and Louis ate their sandwiches. Jay eventually slipped back into the room with a nurse, sighing, "Louis, dear, I have to get going... but I'll be back first thing tomorrow. Soon as visiting hours start up."

Louis look distressed, lifting his arms pitifully for his mother to hug him. Harry's heart melted a tad, because Louis was twenty-four years old and possibly the biggest baby ever when he was hurt. But he'd warned Harry, he knew very well that he was a baby.

Jay came over and kissed Louis' forehead, not wanting to hug him because of his ribs. Louis sighed at that, but he examined his mother's face, "Can't you stay longer?"

"Visiting hours are over," the nurse standing a few feet away responded kindly. "Agent Styles here should probably get going as well... I figured he would have been done talking to you about whatever matters you needed to cover already. The guards outside can handle you, Agent Styles doesn't have to come in everyday-"

"He does!" Louis said, maybe a little too quickly.

"What he means," Harry thought fast. "Is that Agent Murs is so busy filing paperwork for Louis' case that I have to come every day and inform Mr. Tomlinson of how his case is coming along. I'm a bit of a messenger, if you will. And since it's after hours... and Mr. Tomlinson did a very good deed in my favor, I'm not only here to inform him on what's happening, but to also show my gratitude."

The nurse blinked at Harry, "Oh..."

"And besides," Harry continued. "The matters we discuss are extremely classified and I assume you won't hear us talking about them while you're present, ma'am. No offense towards you, just orders of the bureau."

"Right..." the nurse nodded. "Of course, classified. I understand, Agent. You do what you need to do. However, as soon as you’re finished for the night I ask that you please leave. Mr. Tomlinson needs to rest so his body will properly heal. If his ribs start healing incorrectly we'll have to re-break them."

Harry turned and gave Louis a wide-eyed look, but Louis looked as if he could care less, "Agent Styles makes sure that there isn't any confusion on my behalf in my case. He... lowers my stress levels, if you will."

"Alright, alright," the nurse nodded. "I can't stop Agent Styles from coming here until someone of a higher power informs me otherwise."

The nurse checked Louis' monitor, IV, and then she exited the room. Jay crossed her arms, "You two are very dangerous... I don't want a nurse walking in on you two like I did earlier, with your lips all over one another's."

"We're careful, mum," Louis assured with a nod. "And... you'll be here tomorrow?"

"Yes," she sighed, stepping forward and kissing Louis' cheek once more. "I'll see you tomorrow, baby. Don't get in trouble anymore."

Harry sighed, taking Louis' uneaten crusts and putting them on the food tray. He carefully moved the cart and tray away so he could adjust the sheet Louis had tucked over him, examining him anxiously, "Are you warm enough?"

"Not after six nights of sleeping with my space heater," Louis sighed. "Nearly a week. I slept in your bed on the third night that I was with you."

"Lots of built up sexual frustration," Harry chuckled. "And now I just... I fell in love."

"If I wasn't a fuck up then maybe we'd still be in your bed and you'd still be my space heater," Louis mumbled. "And I don't mean tackling Nick Grimshaw! That's not where I messed up. I messed up the first time I ever stole jewellery."

"That's in the past," Harry told him firmly, carefully tucking the sheet around Louis' good side and frowning at his other. "I wish I could bring you more blankets... ones from my house or something. But they won't even let me give you flowers in the ICU. So they're in my car."

"You got me flowers?" Louis asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Shakira, I did," Harry chuckled. "I didn't know if you'd be awake or not... and you were! That was a really good surprise. I don't want to leave you either..."

"Then don't, Egghead," Louis gave him a pleading look.

"I need to go," Harry mumbled. "If I'm staying longer than your mother then something is up."

"Please let me fall asleep first," Louis whispered, and his already hoarse voice broke a little bit more, efficiently breaking Harry's heart as well. "Please, Egghead? Whenever, Wherever, you said it yourself!"

"Okay," Harry groaned. "But you have to sing me a song."

"A Shakira song then," Louis nodded. "Ventilator tube voice and all."

"Damn, yeah... I guess you would really be able to sing if you-"

"Cause I'm a gypsy," Louis gargled out, not even really managing to carry a tune. Harry shook his head, laughing and trying to quiet Louis before he hurt himself. "Are you coming with me? I might steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me."

Harry leaned and silenced him with a kiss, pulling back and chuckling. "They won't fit you. The sleeves will be much too long."

"Even better to swat your cute little butt with, then," Louis declared.

"Your medicine makes you extremely moody."

"You're dumb," Louis giggled.  "Kiss me again."

"Moody," Harry declared, but he obliged, walking over and flipping the light switch. The lights didn't go out, they simply dimmed. Louis huffed, but Harry sat back down in his chair and held Louis' hands. "There's always that little bit of light for if the nurses need to check on you. Like... if you needed your oxygen tubes during the night they could put them on you without having to stop and find the light switch in the dark first."

"If you stayed you could watch over me," Louis tried.

"I can't stay, love," Harry sighed. "Close your eyes."

"No. You'll leave if I do that."

"If I let go of your hand before you fall asleep just tell me to get my stupid ass back over to you."

"How about your frog-face egghead?" Louis grinned.

"Sleep."

"M'not tired."

"Do you know how fucking difficult you are?" Harry sighed. "How can I make you go to sleep?"

A nurse entered the room then, and Harry dropped Louis' hand before she could notice. She frowned at the dim lights, "Agent Styles, if Mr. Tomlinson is trying to sleep-"

"I wanted him to stay until I was asleep," Louis replied, and then realized how affectionate it sounded. "Just in case someone who is angry about my crime comes in and-"

"There's guards outside for that... Agent Styles shouldn't have to-"

"It's fine, ma'am," Harry finally sighed. "My duties never officially end even if it's after my work hours. As a nurse I'm sure you understand, right?"

"Oh. Oh course, of course," she nodded. "You have to do what's best for those around you."

"Exactly," Harry flashed her a smile. "And if a person wanted you to sit in their room because they were afraid say... they would need medical assistance. You would do it, right? If you didn't have any other patients?"

"I'm sure I would..." she said slowly. "If they were insisting."

"So that's what I'm doing for Mr. Tomlinson," Harry explained. "I promise I'll inform you as I'm leaving so you can be sure that I've departed."

"I guess that would be alright," she sighed. "Should I ask Agent Murs about this the next time he swings by?"

"If you'd like," Harry nodded, trusting Olly was smart enough to understand what to say.

The nurse shrugged, "I'm sure it's fine. You're one of the best agents. Okay. Mr. Tomlinson, anything you need before you sleep?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

The nurse departed once more, and Harry breathed out in relief, "You're turning me into a liar."

"Well maybe if they hopped off our dicks we wouldn't have this problem," Louis huffed.

"Mood status: grumpy," Harry declared, earning a glare from Louis.

"I'm not moody."

"You are  _so. Moody_ ," Harry chuckled, leaning and pressing his nose gently to Louis' cheek. "And so cute."

"Sing to me," Louis requested. "So I'll sleep faster."

"Babe, I honestly don't know many Shakira songs..." Harry told the older man who reached back out for Harry's hand.

"I don't need a Shakira song, just a song in general..." Louis huffed. "Or you could play with my hair."

"I'll play with your hair, I  _can_ do that," Harry chuckled, adjusting his chair. "How are your feet? Are they cold?"

"All of me is cold."

Harry's heart clenched, and he sighed as he stroked Louis' greasy fringe from his forehead, "I'm sorry... what you need is a good, warm shower. I'd even wash your hair for you."

"Mmm..." Louis' eyes fluttered closed, a smile forming on his face.

"What?"

"You naked," Louis giggled. "Just let me bask in this fantasy I'm creating."

"Careful," Harry warned. "You're in a hospital with an injured right hand... if this fantasy leads to certain happenings below your waist, you're going to have a problem."

"Don't flatter yourself, it's not that great."

Harry spluttered in surprise, letting go of Louis' hands, stopping the stroking of Louis' hair, and crossed his arms, "Well fine. Jerk. I was trying to be nice and stay here with you since it's all my fault that your here, and-"

"It's not your fault!" Louis scrambled for Harry's hand again, gasping as he jolted his side and tugged at his IV.

"Careful!" Harry's eyes widened anxiously, taking Louis' hand once more. "You have to be  _careful,_ Louis, you're hurt. Please don't hurt your ribs further. Or puncture your lung again. I don't think I could handle that."

But Louis had closed his eyes in contentment once more, moving his head upwards slightly, trying to make Harry pet his hair again, "I'm okay, Egghead. It was just a freak thing that happened yesterday and I promise I won't ever make you go through something like that again, alright? I honestly didn't mean to scare you and if I could have woken up and sat up, broken ribs and all, I would have done it and hugged you and told you that it was all going to be okay and that I'm not planning on leaving you anytime soon."

Harry sighed, reaching out to pet Louis' hair again. The man's words had grown softer and softer as he rambled, and Harry shushed him, "Shh... okay. Thank you. Just be careful, I want you safe. Sleep now."

"Love you, Egghead," Louis' eyes opened. "Harry. I really do mean it."

"I know, I believe you," Harry smiled softly. "I love you, too, Louis. Good night. Your mum will be here in the morning and I'll come as soon as I get off work. I'll bring you something better than come soup and turkey on wheat bread, okay?"

"Fucking love you," Louis smiled, relaxing against the pillows. "Thanks for staying with me."

"Louis!" Harry tried to sound stern, but a strangled laugh escaped him.

"Sorry!" Louis giggled, but then he turned his head into Harry's hand, letting Harry play with his hair.

Harry watched Louis, eventually cracking in the slightest, deciding on a song he  _could_ sing to Louis, " _I don't care if you steal all my air, we can breathe in together as one. It's alright if you're here every night, waking up with you in the sun. We start with an hour and we find we waste the day, kicking back with the love we found. I don't mind if you lie in my bed, we can stay here forever now."_

Louis didn't seem to notice the song, and he figured the man had already fallen asleep. He vaguely wondered if it would hurt Louis to breathe deeply in his sleep, but Louis already seemed to be breathing deeply. It took several more minutes before Harry could pull himself away, and it had already become far past midnight. He kissed Louis' forehead, made sure the blanket was tucked around his feet and body, and then he slipped out of the room. The nurse walked him out of the ICU, and he walked through the cold out to his Range Rover. He knew he wasn't going to sleep well again, but he headed straight home and curled up on the couch with the comforter that still smelled faintly of Louis.

He comforted himself with the thought that  _Louis_ was sleeping soundly, so he should be able to sleep as well. And he finally did sleep after he decided that he'd take the coat he always wore and the coat he didn't wear to the hospital with him. He'd give Louis the coat that smelled like himself, and he'd make Louis snuggle the coat that didn't smell like anything so that it could smell like Louis for  _Harry_ to take home. No one had to know who the coats belonged to, and it'd be a comfort to sleep with. As long as the ICU didn't take the coat away from Louis.

When he woke up thirty minutes late the next morning, unable to hear his alarm going off from his room, he scrambled around a bit and showered to get ready for work before finding a text on his phone that brightened his entire morning.

 _Jay Poulston (Louis' Mother): Egghead! My mum lent me her phone. I'm not supposed to have it on in the ICU, which is really kind of mocking me because I can't_ **_see_ ** _you but I just wanted to tell you good morning and to tell you that I love you. I didn't wake up once last night. I'm glad my mum has swipe text, too, because it'd be hard to type with one hand. Maybe... text me back if you have time? P.S: The eggs here are worse than the soup._

Harry smiled so large it was nearly painful, texting back:  _Shakira! Good morning. I'm late for work at the moment but I'll certainly text you every chance I get. Keep your mum's phone on you. You're quite good at taking things without people noticing. I'm headed out to get in my vehicle now, so I love you, Louis. And I mean it!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was basically pointless fluff xD I figured you all needed it. I usually don't include songs in my works, and I would never have them sing ENTIRE songs, but I just really love those lyrics I chose. So I used them. Louis' song was Gypsy by Shakira obviously because she's fab, and Harry sang a bit of Kiss You Inside Out by Hedley. 
> 
> This was also only edited by Microsoft Word because it's 4AM SO PLEASE point out any errors you see xD


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

* * *

 

"So you like him?" Jay pressed, and Louis tried to hide behind her phone that he held with his good side's hand.

"Yes..."

"That doesn't sound sure, Louis," Jay sighed.

"Yes, mum, yes!" Louis huffed, then coughed and clutched his ribs as they screamed in pain. "Ugh... yes, I love him. I'm twenty-four years old, I think I know when I'm in love."

"I just want to make sure he was telling the truth to me," she explained. "I trust you... I don't know if I trust him. He's one of the people who harassed me every day and reminded me that you were gone and I didn't know where you  _were."_

Louis' gaze fell onto the bed rather than the phone where he was texting Harry, "I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I did that to you."

"No..." his mother sighed, coming and sitting close to Louis so she could touch his arm. "Don't apologise, baby. It's over now. You're back and that's all that matters. I just want to make sure Agent Styles isn't going to take you away from me again."

Louis smiled softly, clearing his throat. His chest strangely felt heavy, but he didn't think it was just from the emotional conversation, "He'll make sure I'm not taken away from you. Or he's going to try to make sure..."

"Well I'm not promising I'll be completely nice to him..." Jay said slowly.

"Only I'm allowed to be rude to him..." Louis warned. "Be civilized, mother. He's a federal agent."

"And what does that make you?" she arched her brow, and Louis scoffed until a cough snuck up on him, sending him into rib aching hacks again.

"Agh... that makes me Robin Hood," he finally wheezed out.

Jay pursed her lips, "Alright... hand over that phone for now. We need the nurse to check on that cough of yours, I don't like it. You can have it back when she's done."

Louis groaned, wanting to pull away as his mother reached for the phone, but he was a tad limited to the bed. He couldn't even get up to  _pee_ on his own yet. He had a  _needle_  and a  _tube_ shoved up a place that he didn't even want to talk about. So he shot Harry one last text before his mother was plucking the phone from his hands, hitting the call button, and sighing at the sight of a pouting Louis.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Harry texted Louis throughout the morning, making his day of filing paperwork much easier. Niall and Zayn knew exactly what he was doing the second they slipped into his cubicle. Louis was being ridiculously clingy and Harry couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

_Louis: When you get here can I hold your hand?_

_Harry: Gross, no._

_Louis: I'll have my mum buy you a sandwich or something from across the street. I think she's leaving when you get here to get food._

_Harry: Tempting, but why would I want to hold your tiny ass hands?_

_Louis: Because you love me? I hope._

_Harry: Fine. But only because I love you._

"You're supposed to be filing paperwork, not texting your boyfriend," Niall declared, and Harry jumped slightly.

"You're supposed to be filing paperwork too and not scaring the shit out of me," he huffed. "And he isn't my boyfriend."

Niall frowned, "But you love him..."

"Nice observation."

Zayn poked his head around the corner, "Allow me to interrupt here. I believe what Niall is trying to say is that you should pull your head out of your ass and ask him to be your boyfriend if you haven't done that already. If you love him don't you want to have a boyfriend claim on him?"

Harry blinked at the both of them before shaking his head, "When did it become you two's business?"

"When we saw you two at dinner Saturday," Niall proclaimed.

"When we saw how upset you were when Louis got hurt," Zayn added. "Upset being an understatement. You're a federal agent. You see that stuff every day. If it's going to affect you that much then it means something to you."

Harry sighed, glancing back down at his phone.

_Louis: I love you, too, Egghead. xx_

He smiled again, and Niall savagely pointed at him, "You're still doing it! Are you a seventeen year old girl now, Styles?"

"Fuck off."

"It's good to know he's doing well, though," Zayn chuckled apologetically. "How are you even texting him?"

"His mother's cellphone..." Harry mumbled.

Zayn smirked, and Niall declared, "Like young girls!"

"Get out!" Harry bellowed, pointing out of his cubicle. "Both of you get back to work."

The two laughed hysterically as they rushed to exit Harry's cubicle, and Harry rolled his eyes at his idiot friends before texting Louis back.

_Harry: You're my favourite little Robin Hood. xx_

Louis never responded after that, and Harry figured his mother had taken her phone back. It made him want to go to the hospital to see Louis more than ever. Before he was supposed to leave, however, he went two floors up in the bureau to find Agent Murs. He knew the man would be even busier with paperwork for both Louis and Grimshaw's case, and he wanted to see how Louis' case was coming. Several of Olly's team smiled and waved at Harry as he searched the cubicles. He finally found the other lead agent hunched over a thick stack of papers, writing away and filling things out. Lightly, he rapped his knuckles against the side of the cubicle, and Agent Murs glanced up before grinning, "Harry. Hello. It's a surprise to see you on this floor."

"Hello, Olly," Harry murmured, pursing his lips slightly. "I was just wondering how the cases were coming."

"Well we're... now don't freak... we're working on Grimshaw's case first," Olly said slowly.

Harry forced down the panic that suddenly swelled in his chest, "What about Tomlinson's?"

"We'll get to it," he assured. "I'm supposed to go in and tell him everything that's happening, question him a little if he'll answer without a lawyer. Because he's injured they aren't acting on the warrant they have yet. Technically, we haven't arrested him yet. Besides. Nick Grimshaw committed a far worse crime than he did. He killed a man and tried to kill a federal agent. Louis stole some jewellery and then... donated it to someone else you said? Whose crime is worse in your eyes?"

The curly haired man nodded, but he ran a nervous hand through his hair, "I just... what if they don't let him off with just house arrest and community service? What if they give him like twenty to life because of all that he stole? What if they don't care where the money went and they only care that the money is gone?"

Olly examined Harry, "I'll do what I can. You'll do what you can. Louis will do what he can. And besides, not  _all_ the members of our court system will be cold and heartless."

"I guess that is all we  _can_ do," Harry sighed. "I'm just worried for him is all? But keep that-"

"Between us two, I know," Olly assured. "We should get Grimshaw into court within the week and then we should be able to move onto Louis' case."

"Let me know when you do?" Harry requested. "I'm supposed to be giving him "updates" in order to be visiting him at the hospital."

"I got a call about that," Olly laughed, and Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yeah I know, they actually called me and asked if you were supposed to stay there. I informed you that yes, you were free to do as you pleased and that you were helping me out."

"There was a nurse yesterday that really wanted me to leave when Louis didn't want me to," Harry explained. "She asked if she should talk to you about me being there. I didn't think she'd actually call you."

"Well, she called the bureau and asked for me," Olly nodded, standing and stretching. "Anyway... are you headed out?"

"Yeah, I was just seeing how the cases were coming..."

"It probably bugs the hell out of you that Payne took you off of it, right? I know it would bother me..." Olly's nose scrunched, and he gave Harry a light pat on the shoulder. 

"It really does," Harry agreed. "There's nothing to do now other than minor cases that are basically pointless. Paperwork for all the drugs we collect and shit like that. I'd much rather be visiting..."

"Your boyfriend?" Olly arched a brow.

"Why does everyone assume that he's my boyfriend?" Harry asked. "I don't even know what he is, but-"

"He's not your boyfriend?"

"Well no, like... we've never covered what we were," Harry shrugged. "We've only officially known each other for a week and three days."

"Then date him," Olly suggested. "Or tell him rather. Just proclaim that he's your boyfriend and something tells me that he isn't going to have a problem with it."

"Maybe we really are young girls," Harry hid his face in his hands. "I'm so ashamed."

"That's love, Agent Styles," Olly declared. "It makes you stupid. Now go be stupid, get out of here. I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks, Olly," Harry grinned. "I honestly don't know what I would do if you weren't this... understanding, I guess."

"Well," Olly shrugged. "If Louis was some sort of mass murderer I probably wouldn't have been as understanding, but he stole  _jewellery_ and didn't even keep the money. I haven't actually held a conversation with him yet, but if you get along with him then I'm assuming he's decent."

 Harry nodded in agreement, "He's a good guy. He really is."

"Alright, then, that's all I need to know," Olly chuckled. "Now get out of here."

Harry smiled, thanking Olly one last time before he hurried back to the lift. He stopped on his floor once more to say farewell to the remaining agents, including Zayn and Niall, and then he was hurrying from the building to head to his car. The agent texted Jay to see if she wanted him to pick her up a sandwich, as he was planning on picking Louis up one, yet no one responded to his text. So he simply picked up multiple types of sandwiches before heading to the hospital to see his favourite thief.

He wasn't quite sure how he did it, but he managed to sneak in the bag of sandwiches underneath the coat he carried in for Louis to cover up with. He didn't see the nurse that had questioned him the night before, nor were there guards outside Louis' door. He shook his head in confusion, but slipped into the room. Jay was seated in a chair by the window biting her nails, but the room lacked the one thing Harry was there for.

Harry nearly dropped the sandwiches. Louis hadn't texted him back since the early afternoon, no one had, "What's happened? Where is he?"

"He's getting his chest x-rayed," Jay sighed worriedly. "With a punctured lung he has a higher risk of developing pneumonia, and he's been coughing quite a bit all day. They're make sure he hasn't messed up the alignment of his ribs."

Harry shakily sat the sandwiches down on the floor, "When did they take him to- is he alright?"

"They just took him about ten minutes ago, and I was talking to him and he was fine. They upped his pain medication a little because it hurts him to cough. They already said it's nothing life threatening and they're giving him antibiotics to fight off any possibilities of developing pneumonia. They're just worried about his coughing knocking his ribs out of place. They'd have to do surgery all over again, which lengthens recovery time," Jay offered Harry a small smile. "Basically, he's a tad drugged. He's um... he's told me several things that he probably wasn't supposed to, and he made me promise not to tell the nurse's. So don't worry about your secrets getting out to them."

"I'm more worried about him than anything," Harry mumbled glancing down at his coat covering the sandwich bag. "Um... would you like a sandwich, though? I got several kinds... so you wouldn't have to leave Louis."

"Oh," Jay blinked in surprise. "I... thank you. Sure. I'm not picky, I'll just take whatever sandwich you're willing to give up."

Harry removed his coat from the back and carried the bag over to her, "Here you are... I'm not all that hungry anymore. I'll eat when Louis does."

Jay examined Harry for a few moments, but then looked to the coat he had draped over his shoulder, "You're wearing a coat and you're carrying one around. May I ask why?"

"One is for Louis to cover up with for the time being," Harry explained softly. "And then before I leave we'll trade. He gets the coat I've been using and he can keep it here with him, and I'll take the one he used."

Jay gave him a strange look, "I'd say that that was weird, but Louis told me about something that makes everything else between you two seem normal."

"I really want to know what he told you," Harry's nose scrunched.

"Erm..." Jay pursed her lips, seemingly trying to find the right words. "Let's just say it involved handcuffs."

"Oh God," Harry hid his face. "How much did he tell you?"

"More than a mother should know."

"I am so sorry."

Jay laughed, shaking her head, "You two can do whatever you want with your lives. You're grown men. I also needed a good laugh to take my mind off of things."

Harry peeked out at her from between his fingers, "Still, I can't... you probably really do think I'm crazy then."

"Well, Louis informed me on how much he enjoyed it, but then he went on rambling about how you made great pancakes and about how you were his space heater. The boy was talking a mile a minute."

Harry lowered his hands, giving a fond smile at the thought. Before he could respond, however, a familiar hoarse voice could be heard coming into the room along with the squeaking of hospital bed wheels and an I.V pole, "But have you ever wondered why hospital food tastes so bad? Their patients are supposed to be getting better, not getting food poisoning. Have you tasted the soup? It tastes like co-"

"Mr. Tomlinson, you need to pause to breathe," a nurse chuckled, and Harry turned to watch as Louis was waving his good arm around and chattering away.

"I am breathing, watch my nose," Louis pointed to the button nose that Harry loved. "See? Is it moving? Actually, I don't think I've ever watched myself breathe before. Do my nostrils move when I breathe?"

"Oh, and who is this?" the nurse asked in surprise as her eyes fell on Harry. The woman wasn't someone he'd seen before, and he moved to grab his badge.

"Harry!" Louis crowed gleefully.

Harry's brow arched in surprise, and he quickly lied to cover-up Louis' drugged mind's slip-up, "Agent Styles. I'm here to talk to Mr. Tomlinson and... Ms. Poulston... about Louis' case. I was sent by the agent on Louis' case Agent Murs. We're both lead agents."

"Ah, I won't bother you then," the nurse chuckled. "The doctor had an urgent call and had to leave early, but he asked me to tell you how Louis' x-ray went. His ribs are still alright, the brace is holding them in place nicely. The only thing the coughing did was loosen his stitches a bit, but those should be fine. All stitches loosen as the skin starts healing. When the pain medication wears off and he's in pain, just ring for us and we can give him a bit more."

"Thank you," Jay smiled at the nurse, and Harry nodded to her as well. The woman left the room, and Louis sighed impatiently.

"Harry."

"Hello, Shakira," Harry murmured fondly, carrying his jacket over to Louis and carefully draping it onto the man as he let Jay look in the sandwich bag.

"I get a gift?" Louis asked, grinning largely. "How nice! This coat smells good."

"We're going to trade coats at the end of the night," Harry explained gently. "So that you can have a coat that's mine and I can have a coat that's kind of yours."

"So it will smell like you!" Louis exclaimed, beaming widely and stretching his arm out for Harry. "Kiss me, Egghead, I missed you."

Harry obliged, leaning and softly kissing Louis' lips. He ran his hand across Louis' hair that was much cleaner than the day before, "You've had a sort of bath I see."

"With a sponge like an old person and it was cold as fuck," Louis declared. "I'm going to get hypothermia to go along with my possible pne- pne-"

"Pneumonia," Harry supplied.

"No, I don't think that's right either," Louis shook his head.

"You are so drugged," Harry grinned.

"No," Louis giggled. "No, I'm Louis."

Jay joined Harry's side, chuckling down at Harry, "He's been this way for about four hours now. It's been pretty interesting. I don't think he has a filter."

"Doesn't Harry have the cutest butt, mum?" Louis asked suddenly, reaching to grab Harry's hip and failing. "Harry, can I see your butt?"

"Louis," Harry laughed. "You should rest. I brought you more than just a jacket for a present. So you  _don't_ have to eat nasty tasting soup."

"I don't like tasting stuff that tastes like come unless it's your-"

Harry was quick to press a gentle hand on Louis' mouth, hushing him softly and leaning to whisper into the man's ear, "Love, I don't think your mother care's to know that..."

He felt a wet tongue brush over his palm, and his eyes fluttered closed as he pulled back with a nod. Louis beamed triumphantly, "I licked you."

"I noticed," Harry chuckled. "Anyway, babe... I bought you a sandwich. Do you want it?"

"You left without telling me?" Louis gasped, suddenly looking hurt.

"No, I-" Harry shook his head in confusion. "Louis, it was before I even got to the hospital."

"Oh..." Louis said slowly. "Yes. Yes, I want it. But not right now! You said you'd hold my hand, remember? Let's hold hands. Only first, you know in Tarzan where they press their hands to each other's? I bet my hands are bigger than yours. I want to see."

Jay chuckled, going to sit back in her chair, "I think you can handle him from here. I'll just be sitting in this chair and observing."

"Gee thanks," Harry mumbled, but then he fondly brushed Louis' hair from his eyes. He rather enjoyed Louis on heavy painkillers. It was a lot to comprehend and things seemed to be moving quickly, but it was rather cute. Louis was one of the  _only_ twenty-four year olds that could still pull off cute. 

"Oh frog face," Louis sang in a horribly gravelly voice, coughing slightly much to Harry's dismay. "I love you frog face."

"I love you, too, now take it easy on your lungs," Harry chuckled, pulling a chair up close to Louis' bed and gently moving the I.V pole so he could hold his hand up. Louis reached up and pressed his hand to Harry's, his eyes widening when his fingers barely reached the beginning of Harry's finger tips.

"How are you doing that?"

"Doing what, love?"

Louis' eyes widened further, and Harry felt the man's hands straining against his own to try and make his hand the same size, "Are you Mr. Elastic?"

Harry studied Louis for a moment, and then he nodded, "Yes. Yes I am."

Louis slowly moved his hand up Harry's, moving his palm more towards the center of Harry's hand so that his fingertips could curl over Harry's, and then he whispered in a dead serious voice, "My hand is bigger than your hand."

And then Harry couldn't help it. He was laughing so hard he was bending over and clutching his stomach while Louis watched him in confusion. Jay came over again with a sandwich for Louis, but Louis was too busy trying to grab Harry's hand again.

"Here, love, take this sandwich," Harry heard Jay stifle a giggle.

"I don't get it..." Louis sounded as if he were pouting, and Harry finally looked up at him, his laughter dying down as he wiped at his eyes.

"Oh, babe," Harry chuckled. "I really do love you."

"That's why you're laughing?" Louis asked.

"I'm laughing because you're cute," Harry explained, taking the sandwich Jay offered Louis. He held the end up to Louis' mouth, and Louis took a bite and mumbled around his mouthful.

"I'm cute?"

"And handsome, and kind, and funny," Harry explained, smiling lovingly at the drugged man. He almost wanted to record Louis in case the man didn't remember any of it later. "But I've got something to ask you Louis. Something that Niall, Liam, and Agent Murs pointed out to me."

"Do they think you have an Egghead, too?" Louis asked, reaching for the sandwich. However, it would have been hard for the man to eat with only one hand, so Harry continued to feed it to him while Jay went to retrieve Louis some more water.

"Probably, but they want to know why we aren't dating yet," Harry told him.

"Maybe because you barely wanted to take me to the grocery store with you, you piece of shit," Louis pouted.

"Well I suppose that's true," Harry laughed in surprise. "But other than the actually going out on dates aspect... do you love me?"

"Yes," Louis frowned, turning his head away at the next bite of sandwich Harry offered. "I love you... I love you and I mean it!"

"And I love you and I mean it," Harry agreed. "So why aren't we officially together?"

"I thought we were."

"Then we are," Harry declared. "If you think we're together, then you’re my boyfriend. It's decided."

"Did you just friend zone me?" Louis once again looked hurt.

"No... no love, I..." Harry sighed lovingly, leaning and kissing Louis' lips. "I love you. We'll just talk about this when you're in the right state of mind again."

"You're the one not in the right state of mind," Louis accused. "You aren't supposed to do the drugs you find, Agent Styles."

"Oops," Harry chuckled. "Good thing you told me that then."

Louis went back to eating and Jay returned with the man's water. But much to Harry's dismay, the drugs eventually did wear off, Louis began coughing more, and he began to press his good hand to his side as he did it, "It's fucking cold in here."

Harry hurried around Louis's bed to tuck him in to the best of his ability, covered Louis in both of the coats, and asked the nurse to bring Louis some more blankets. She gave him a different type of medicine that made him sleepy rather than loopy, and he talked to Harry still even though he could barely keep his eyes open.

"So how was work? Anything big happen?" he asked softly.

"Nah," Harry murmured. "You've been the highlight of my day."

"You flatter me."

And then Harry came right out and said it, "We're together, right? Like... boyfriends?"

Louis' eyes opened wider in surprise, and Harry saw Jay's head lift from where she was reading a magazine. Louis let go of his ribs long enough to stretch a hand out and touch Harry's leg, "You want that? You'd want to be my boyfriend?"

"Well earlier you declared that we already were boyfriends. Well, actually you asked me if I was friend zoning you, and then you told me that we were already together. I figured I was the only one late to the program."

"I'm going to get a lot of shit for earlier, I can already tell," Louis moaned, but then coughed harshly, making Harry wince.

"Oh, love... maybe you should get some sleep," Harry told him quietly. "You're hurting  _me_."

"It's not bad," Louis shook his head as he finally stopped coughing. "I want to talk to you."

"We can text tomorrow and I'll come visit you again, maybe bring you more food," Harry offered. "You can keep one of my coats to keep you warm."

"I just want to keep you," Louis replied. "Snuggle with me..."

"Go to sleep," Harry said firmly. "You need to sleep."

"I don't even get a goodnight kiss?" Louis scowled. "What kind of bargain are you driving, Styles?"

"A caring one," Harry leaned and kissed Louis softly. "Goodnight, Louis. I love you."

"Goodnight, Egghead," Louis sighed, keeping Harry's hand clasped in his own to make sure Harry wasn't leaving too soon.

The man was passed out in minutes, and Harry carefully tucked his hand back under the blankets. He wanted a coat to take back for himself, but Louis seemed to be warmer with them and he didn't want to take that away. So instead he kissed Louis' forehead, Jay kissed Louis' forehead, and Harry scrawled Louis a quick note before walking Jay to her car and then heading home himself.

The next morning when Louis was woken up by the nurse checking his oxygen rate, he found himself still covered in Harry's two coats, and he swore that if Harry didn't come to the hospital in another coat that he was going to beat Harry's ass. But he also found Harry's note tucked in between the coats, and it got him through the morning until his mother arrived.

 _Louis,_ _  
_I hope you feel better, and it better be morning when you're reading this._  
 _If your mum is with you, feel free to text me. I'm willing to text on the job if it's you._  
 _I want to know how that cough of yours is. If it's not better within a few days I'll_  
 _kick its ass. I'll see you later on this evening, boyfriend (that's not friend zoning you)._  
 _Love (and I meant it),_  
 _Egghead xx__

And when his mother  _did_ arrive, he kissed her cheek, fought back the cough that was certainly still there, and happily texted his working boyfriend.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knows how many inaccuracies there are in this whole fic :) Probably a lot. Actually, let's not talk about it xD

* * *

 

The nurses were literally always in Louis' room, preventing him from being able to text Harry. His mother even had to exit the room if she wanted to call Lottie, who was on her way home from UNI to see Louis. But apparently the nurses were needed, and Louis had to get the oxygen tubes back in his nose, as a few hours after his mother arrived his chest felt so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

They elevated him after x-raying his chest again, they found that he  _was_ developing pneumonia, which led to him having a slight fever and an extremely difficult time breathing. They gave him drugs that, unlike the other drugs, made him nauseous rather than happy or tired. He sat pouting and shivering in the hospital bed as painful coughs shook him and asked his mother to cover him with Harry's coats. His head was pounding and he wanted to read, but he knew it would worsen his headache. He was too embarrassed to ask his mother to read to him, wanting more than ever for Harry to be there with him. His mother was great, she'd taken care of him for as long as he could remember, but Harry was just... Harry. His  _boyfriend_. Louis really liked that. There was something about him that made Louis feel great even when he felt horrible.

His mum turned on the television the room had, but the only decent thing on was the news, and once Jay realized that Louis was the lead story, the television was instantly off again.

"Well on the bright side, no one knows that you're in this hospital besides the nurses and guards," Jay sighed, walking over to Louis to frown and fix his hair in a motherly fashion.

"And Harry," Louis croaked out through slightly chattering teeth.

Jay bit her lip, pulling Harry's coats a little further up Louis' body, "You're still cold?"

"It hurts so bad to shiver," Louis nodded.

"You already have so many blankets, though, love," Jay said softly.

"I need my space heater," Louis requested. "When will he get here, what time is it?"

"Well Lottie and Fliss are going to be here later on as well, remember?" his mother reminded. "Still only two people allowed in the room. Your space heater, which I assume is Harry, will have to wait."

Louis smiled slightly, "I  _am_ excited to see them..."

"They're going to cry all over you," she chuckled.

"Well for the record I'll probably cry all over them, too, and then my nose will get all stuffy and I won't be able to use these oxygen tubes and I'll cough a lot-" Louis rambled until Jay pressed a finger to her lips.

"Louis. Save your energy."

"Can I text Egghead?" Louis requested.

Jay looked to the door, almost as if waiting for a nurse to come through it, but then handed her phone over with a sigh, "I'm surprised he doesn't get offended at that name."

"He knows I don't think his head is shaped like an egg," Louis explained. "He's just... he's my Egghead. But now you've made me self-conscious!"

_Louis: Babe, is it okay that I call you Egghead?!_

His mother chuckled, "I'm sure it's fine. What does he call you again?"

"Shakira," Louis smiled fondly. "I like when he calls me that."

"Well then he probably doesn't mind when you call him Egghead," his mother assured. "Now just... as much as I love listening to what you have to say, stop talking so much. You can barely breathe correctly as it is."

"Okay," Louis murmured absentmindedly. The phone buzzed in Louis' hand, and he contented himself then as he talked to Harry.

_Harry: Of course, it's okay. xx Shakira. ;) Not many people can say that Shakira is their boyfriend._

_Louis: That's because no one says that Shakira is a boy._

_Harry: You've got a point. But how've you been, you haven't been texting me. I was getting worried about you._

"Louis, you're blushing," Jay chuckled. "If you're... just delete those texts when you're done."

"We're not sexting, mother," Louis huffed. "And even if we were I'm twenty-four and I can sext my boyfriend if I want to."

"Which is why I told you to delete them," Jay pointed out.

_Louis: I'm alright, I'll be better when you get here. xx_

_Harry: How's your ribs?_

_Louis: They're decent I suppose._

In all honesty Louis was  _not_ decent. His chest hurt, he constantly felt like he needed to cough up a lung despite the fact that he'd punctured one days prior, his ribs ached from coughing, and he felt slightly sick to his stomach from his medication. All of that was topped off with a fever and a headache. But if he told Harry, then Harry would worry and a worried federal agent was never a good idea, especially if they had to go to a scene.

_Harry: Oh? Define decent._

_Louis: So... how is work._

_Harry: Are you changing the subject?_

_Louis: Not at all..._

Harry didn't text back for a bit, and Louis fiddled with the blankets with his good arm while he waited for the younger boy to respond. His mother was examining him with an amused look, and then the phone buzzed once more.

 _Harry: Ah, babe! I've got to gear up and head out for the first time in forever, you're going to specify on your ribs when I get back_.  _xx_

_Louis: Wait where are you going?!_

Harry didn't respond, after that, leaving Louis feeling slightly anxious for  _Harry's_ wellbeing. It was Harry's job, and Louis couldn't exactly feel afraid every time Harry was heading out to bust some criminal.

_Louis: Be careful... xx_

"Can we watch the news again?" Louis requested then, sadly offering the phone to his mother.

Jay stood and set down the magazine she was reading, walking over to get her phone, "Are you done with the phone for now?"

"Yes," Louis sighed. "Harry had to go out. Do agent things."

"Ah," Jay murmured in sympathy. "Agent things. Hardcore agent things?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Louis whined, but then coughed so hard the nurse had to come in and check on him.  His mother sat closer to Louis and flipped on the news for him. There was nothing but his own story on for some strange reason, probably because he was one of England's most wanted and he'd finally been caught. It was also apparently in question whether or not Louis was alive. And much to Louis' chest's dismay, he was very much alive.

He allowed the nurses to change the bandages over his injury, which always hurt like a bitch, because once the brace around his middle was loosened his ribs were able to expand more efficiently, resulting in a shooting pain throughout his middle. But hours passed, and there still wasn't another text from Harry. Louis glanced at the clock on the wall, slight nausea rolling through him as he realized it was already 5:45pm. Harry got off work at 5:30pm, and if he  _still_ hadn't texted... Louis didn't want to focus to much on it.

His mother suddenly pulled out her phone to glance at it, and he thrust his hand out for it immediately, hope bubbling up in his stomach. She arched a brow, showing him the phone, "Lottie and Fliss are on their way with the twins... I'm supposed to meet them in the lobby."

"No text from Harry?" Louis whispered.

"Not yet, dear," his mother reached out and patted Louis' hand. "But he'll be here eventually, so-"

"But the last thing he said was that he was gearing up and going out!" Louis croaked, anxiety flooding him once more as he felt his chest tighten with his quickened breaths.

His mother stood and leaned over him, quickly pressing the call button, "Relax, relax.... it's alright."

"He never texted me back," Louis pressed on, trying to grab onto his mother's hand to make her  _understand_. "I told him to be careful but he never texted back!"

"I'm sure he's fine, Louis, we'd have seen it on the news," his mother hushed, and then a nurse was hurrying in.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

"Is there something to help Louis' cough?" Jay smiled to the nurse.

The woman chuckled sadly, walking over to Louis' IV and checking it, "I think we've got him on all the medication we can for now, he'll just have to try and keep relaxed. Even breaths, try not to have irregular breathing."

"But I-" Louis tried, but another cough racked through him and sent him clutching onto his chest and ribs.

"Mr. Tomlinson," the nurse murmured once Louis had caught his breath. "You must relax, or else we'll have to give you something to make you sleep. If you're coughing your ribs aren't healing. Now... let me take your temperature."

Louis stared at the room entrance the entire time, clutching onto Harry's jackets with his good hand as the nurse used a strange device that she briefly stuck inside his ear, and then tsked softly. Jay inched closer, "How is his temperature?"

"He's still running a fever," the nurse sighed. "It's a little higher than before, but not by much. I believe he could sleep it off."

"I..." Louis looked desperately to his mother. "Have you heard from Agent Styles about my case?"

"Still no, love," his mother sighed. "I've got to run downstairs and meet your sisters in the lobby. I'll bring up one of them first, then the next, alright?"

"Okay," Louis nodded, trying to cheer up a little for his sisters. But  _Harry_. He just wanted to know that Harry was okay.

The nurse bustled around him a bit more, pointing to the jackets on Louis, "Oh. We have a coatrack, would you like me to put those elsewhere?"

"No, no," Louis shook his head. "I need these, they're warm."

"I could get you more blankets-"

"I want these," he said insistently.

The woman was confused, but she nodded and exited the room. He looked around sadly, glancing up at the clock. It was a little past 6pm, and he knew that Harry had gotten to the hospital at a little past 6pm the few days prior. But Harry still hadn't made an appearance, and it made his chest hurt in a way that he knew wasn't just his ribs. However, his mother returned, ushering an anxious blonde girl with wide blue eyes. And it had only been a year, but she looked so much  _older._

Louis felt himself choke up, tears pooling up and spilling over as he craned an arm out for his sister, "Lottie!"

"Louis!" she wailed, launching herself at him before freezing. "Where are you hurt? I want to hug you, but-"

"Right side, and no one else will hug me either so just-" Louis coughed slightly, curling an arm around Lottie and gently leading her down. "C'mere!"

"I missed you!" she sobbed into his shoulder. "Why'd you leave? I guess I kind of left, too, by transferring schools but you moved out first and-"

Louis shook his head, "No, no you're still around. You did much better than me, I haven't even gone to UNI yet. I'm very proud of you for that. My kind of leaving is probably unforgivable."

Lottie stood, scrubbing at her eyes, "There's nothing to forgive, we weren't even mad. Just upset... and then when we heard that you were stealing things, it was our only way of knowing that you were alright. When mum told me you'd been shot I was so scared... but you're okay and I had to come see you for myself."

"Eh," Louis chuckled. "I'm alright. A little bruised, broken, and hoarse, but I'm good."

"And you've got some dreadful looking tubes in your noses... what about like... do you have to go to prison or something?" Lottie squeaked, and she suddenly looked about six years younger. It made Louis want to cuddle her in and tell her stories like he'd done when they were little.

"Maybe, maybe not," Louis' nose scrunched. "I've got a bit of an inside source? An inside source that- mum?"

He was prepared to ask Jay if Harry had texted, but was startled to find her dabbing her eyes after his and Lottie's little scene, "Sorry, sorry... yes, dear?"

"Harry?" he asked hopefully.

"No," she shook her head. "No texts."

Louis' heart sank once more, and he figured his face must have fallen an excessive amount, because Lottie touched his arm, "Who's Harry?"

"My boyfriend," Louis murmured, and the word sent slight shivers through him. Shivers that unfortunately hurt his ribs. "He was supposed to be off work ages ago."

"What does he do?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Louis smiled softly. "You really should meet him, though, he's lovely."

"He's alright," Jay corrected, hurrying forward and offering Louis her phone to hide under the covers. "He's... I don't necessarily trust him, but I can't control what Louis does."

"I'm worried about him," Louis admitted, looking to the phone and shooting Harry a desperate text.

_Louis: Harry... :(_

He thought a moment before he sent another.

_Louis: I need you._

Lottie pulled up the chair Harry usually sat in and began asking Louis all sorts of questions about how he had been, where he'd been living, and in return Louis asked Lottie all about school and threatened to beat up any boyfriends she might have.

At around 7pm, his mother stood and sighed, "Lottie, dear, I'm afraid it's Fliss' turn to come see Louis."

Lottie hung her head, but stood and kissed Louis' cheek as he squeezed her elbow, "I'm not going anywhere, so you'll be seeing plenty more of me."

That seemed to cheer her up, and then she and Jay were exiting the room once more while Louis frantically dug the phone back out from under the covers. Harry  _still_ was MIA, and it was beginning to make the nausea from his medicine worsen. But the churning of his stomach had to be ignored as another girl, slightly younger this time, was tearfully launching herself at Louis and once again starting his tears up.

"How's it been Fliss?" he croaked out through his tears as he tried to soothe the sobbing girl.

But then she said something that really hit a sensitive spot, "I'm so sorry if we scared you away from home!"

It required both of his arms, even though his ribs protested, to seize Fliss' hands in his own, "Felicite Tomlinson you did  _not_ scare me away from home. I was only a hassle there. You all were getting back on your feet and I didn't want to be in the way of that. I may have helped bring in a little money, but I probably spent more than I provided and that's not what I wanted at all."

"Money isn't tight at all now," Felicite insisted. "Daniel helps out and-"

"Daniel?" Louis arched a brow.

"Ah," Jay murmured. "Yes. He only just arrived a few months before you left. Daniel is my boyfriend?"

"Does he take good care of you all?" Louis asked, suddenly feeling protective. "I mean, I thought that you had found someone, mum, but I wasn't sure."

"He takes care of us, yes," she explained. "He doesn't live with us, but he helped us get back on our feet. He works during the hospital's visiting hours, at  _another_ hospital to be exact, or else  _he_ would have watched the twins while Fliss and I came to visit you."

Louis nodded slowly, convinced enough until he would be able to meet this  _Daniel_. Fliss was still sniffling, and he reached up to wipe the tears off her cheeks, "Don't cry, now... it's okay. We're alright and I'm here from now on. I won't disappear again."

"I don't think I could bear it if you did," she sniffled, and Louis' heart clenched in sympathy.

It made his chest tighten up again, and he tried to clear his throat as he felt the cough build up, but he could tell by the intensity of the tightening that it was going to be quite the cough. And he was right as he began hacking into the crook of his arm, clutching his ribs with his other hand. He heard Fliss start, but Jay touched her arm and murmured over Louis' coughs, "He's developing a slight case of pneumonia, but they're treating him for it."

"Ugh," Louis choked out through coughs. "Kills my side, though-"

And then suddenly, there was a familiar and anxious voice asking loudly, "Is he alright?!"

Louis' watery eyes flickered to the doorway where a curly haired man came limping in quickly, and he couldn't stop the smile from stretching across his face until he focused more on Harry. Limping, limping wasn't normal.

"He's fine," Jay told Harry, who was standing behind Jay and a confused looking Felicite, sternly. "He's been worried about you, though, and apparently you didn't have the mind to answer his texts."

"Harry-" Louis finally managed to gasp out. "Harry, are  _you_ okay? Why are you limping?"

Jay stepped aside as Louis reached for Harry, letting the agent step up next to Felicte. Harry's hands moved to stroke Louis' forehead that had beaded with sweat from his coughing, and Harry froze, "You are  _burning up_ holy shit, Louis, you-"

"And where's your coat?" Louis continued, still clearing his throat and giving small coughs. "You gave me  _both_ your coats and-"

Harry turned to Jay then, "Has he had a fever and the oxygen tubes in all day?"

"For most of it," Jay nodded with a sigh. "And he  _is_ developing pneumonia, so they're giving him medicine for that and monitoring his ribs to ensure that they're still healing correctly."

Harry turned back around to Louis, his mouth mashed into a hard line as he stared at the older boy, "You failed to mention that in your texts."

"You failed to text me back at all!" Louis huffed with a pout. "You just said you were gearing up, which meant the situation you were going into could be dangerous, and you  _never. Texted. Back_."

"I-"

"And  _now_ you're limping!" Louis coughed out. "How did you twist your ankle?"

"Um..." Felicite said slowly.

Harry blanched in surprise, almost as if he didn't notice her, "Oh. Hello. Felicite, right? You're the younger one who was in the waiting room the first night Louis arrived."

"Harry!" Louis gasped. "Stop ignoring me!"

The agent looked up at the monitor, "Louis William Tomlinson, I don't want you talking until your oxygen levels are normal, do you hear me? They're  _red_ right now. I love you, and I want you to be okay. So please, just relax. I'm alright and I'll answer whatever questions you have when you're breathing normally again."

Louis wanted to protest further, but then Harry's fingers were in his hair and he was melting into the sheets, shivering slightly. Harry adjusted the blankets and coats, looking back to Felicity. The girl’s eyes were wide as she murmured slowly, "Agent... Styles?"

"That's me," Harry shook her hand with the hand that wasn't petting Louis' hair.

"You're... in a relationship with my brother," she shook her head in confusion.

"Yes, I can imagine that comes as a bit of a surprise..."

"Oh yeah," Jay supplied. "It's not something that one can just  _accept_  automatically, but we can tolerate it. But I think that's the harshest I've ever seen you with Louis, so-"

Harry looked back to Louis worriedly, "I was harsh? I... I didn't mean to-"

Louis shook his head, "You were just your normal asshole self."

Harry raised his eyebrows, sliding his hand down Louis' cheek but being mindful of the oxygen tubes so he could press a thumb softly over Louis' lips, "No talking yet, Shakira..."

"Shakira?" Felicite still looked completely lost, and Harry nodded.

"Right, right... I'm probably hogging your brother," he murmured. "Plus there's only supposed to be two people in here at a time, so-"

"Don't you dare leave," Louis blurted out. "I will get up, and I will follow you."

So Harry moved to the other side of Louis' bed and sat quietly while Felicite hesitantly talked to Louis, nervously glancing at Harry from time to time, "Um... so like, you aren't leaving again right? The twins have been going on nonstop about seeing you, they tried to talk me into sneaking them in here."

"I'm not leaving again," Louis assured, and Harry nonchalantly peeked up at Louis' oxygen levels before settling contentedly once more. "I'm pretty excited to see the twins as well. They're probably taller than me, right?"

Felicite laughed, but she shook her head, "We're all still smaller than you."

"I think all of you are just small," Harry spoke up, but then covered his mouth quickly. "Sorry, sorry, I'll go back to playing with Louis' hair."

"No, keep talking," Louis requested. "I haven't gotten to talk to you nearly all day."

"We should actually be getting going," Jay sighed sadly, and Felicite's face crumpled a bit. "It's not fair to the twins to have to sit in the waiting room for more than two hours."

"Can we come back tomorrow?" she asked.

"We should try and find a baby-sitter for the twins," Jay nodded. "Perhaps they could go over to one of their friends' for a few hours."

Felicite stood and kissed Louis' cheek as he attempted to give her a one armed hug, Jay kissed his forehead and stroked his hair, and he croaked out, "Love you both! Tell the twins and Lottie I love them as well."

"We love you, too," Jay hummed, looking to Harry. "Take care of him until you leave, agent."

"Always," Harry promised.

The moment Louis' family was gone, Louis looked to Harry, "You've got a lot of questions to answer."

"Let's get you some food, first," Harry frowned. "It's 8pm and I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet? I meant to bring you something but I didn't have a coat to sneak it under."

"I'm perfectly fine," Louis declared. "Now what happened to your ankle? Well don't walk on it!"

Louis protested as Harry limped around his bed to hit the call button, simply chuckling, "It's fine, love."

The older man pouted slightly as Harry pulled up his usual chair and waited for the nurse, still changing the subject each time Louis asked about his ankle. The nurse came into the room, "I'm guessing Mr. Tomlinson is hungry?"

"What's good here to eat?" Harry asked. "Tomlinson here can never seem to find the right things."

"The chicken salad sandwich is fairly good," the nurse replied. "It comes with mint tea. Would you like that?"

"Yes, please..." Louis nodded, anxious to get the nurse to leave so he could question Harry further. When the woman left, Louis once again instantly looked to Harry. "If you do not tell me what happened right now I'm going to pull my oxygen tubes out and-"

"Okay, okay," Harry chuckled softly, leaning and kissing Louis quiet. "Easy. After I last texted you we went to a scene where a man decided to play hide and go seek through some aisles, and he was armed. I twisted my ankle pushing one of my team members behind a shelf when the guy opened fire."

"Was anyone-?!"

"No one was hit," Harry assured. "The worst injury was a broken finger- and before you say anything, it wasn't mine, clearly."

Louis relaxed a little. Harry  _was_ safe. He hadn't been shot, although thinking of him being shot at still made him queasy, and Harry was safe and sitting with him. Louis still pouted, however, stretching his hand out for Harry's, "But you never texted me back and I was afraid that like... something had happened to you..."

"Aww," Harry cooed, kissing Louis' knuckles carefully. "I'm alright, Shakira! The screen of my phone cracked. So I can't see anything on it. You should have called me, I can answer calls... I just can't make them until I pick up a new phone tomorrow."

And then Louis felt incredibly silly for harassing Harry over the texts, and he blushed, "Oh... so you weren't just like, ignoring my texts. Gotcha."

"No," Harry laughed. "I wasn't ignoring you. I wanted more than anything to talk to you, but because of the guy earlier I had a bit of paperwork to do before I left. That's why I'm late getting back to you."

"Well all I care about is that you  _are_ back to me," Louis sighed, but then winced as his ribs protested and he coughed slightly. "My Egghead."

"Your Egghead," Harry assured, standing to kiss Louis, but then sitting down just as fast as the nurse came back into the room with Louis' food.

"Here you are, Mr. Tomlinson," she hummed. "After you eat you should really try and sleep... Agent Styles, I assume you won't be staying much longer?"

"I'll be leaving once Mr. Tomlinson is asleep," Harry promised.

The nurse exited, and Harry stood and kissed Louis more efficiently, bringing a smile to Louis' face as the man giggled, "You need to shave."

"So do you!" Harry reached out and poked Louis' cheek. "You're even scruffier than I am. Caveman."

"Frog face."

"Frogs don't have facial hair!" Harry crowed. "So you admit that your face is worse than mine."

Louis did what he considered himself best at, turning his face away from Harry in a pout until Harry reached for him, cooing out apologies and standing and limping to help Louis eat his sandwich.

"You need to stop walking on that," Louis huffed.

"I'm perfectly fine," Harry chuckled. "And don't tell anyone, but no one knows it's hurt. They'd probably send me home or something and then I wouldn't have an excuse to come here and visit you."

"They don't-" Louis began shrilly before he broke off into coughing. Harry stroked his hair anxiously until Louis regained his composure. "You need to tell them you're hurt. What if they send you off to do something dangerous and you get hurt even further, what-"

"My ankle is fine," Harry huffed. "Besides. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to Agent Murs again and see if Grimshaw is headed to court yet. The sooner we get  _your_ trial up, the sooner I can be sure that you're getting house arrest and community service. Now, eat your sandwich."

"Agent Murs should come here," Louis teased. "He could probably give me more information. Plus I love him tons more."

Harry's face grew jealous, and he playfully but still not so playfully growled as he leaned and nipped Louis' ear, "Eat your sandwich..."

Louis complied with Harry's wishes, finding that the sandwich actually wasn't  _horrible_. It was far better than come soup, yet he still made Harry eat half of it so Harry would stay around longer. He finally got to be read to from Robin Hood, and he actually found himself drifting off to sleep as Harry's slow and deep voice read to him softly. He fought against his heavy eyelids, though, tangling his fingers together with Harry's and wincing a bit as he accidentally jostled his IV, "I'm really glad you still visit me even though I'm stuck here and forced to practically use my own bed as a bathroom. It even grosses  _me_ out that nurses have to come change my bedpan and freaking bag of piss every few hours."

"Go to sleep, Louis," Harry chuckled.

"No listen," Louis insisted.

"Are you on drugs again?"

"No!" Louis huffed, pouting until Harry urged him to continue. "I'm just extremely glad that you come and visit me everyday. All of this would really suck without you here and I really love you a lot for doing all of this for me."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Shakira," Harry hummed, leaning and kissing the man softly. "Now sleep. We want your slight fever to go down."

"Don't even feel like I have a fever," Louis sighed.

"It's all the medication," Harry said softly, reaching to stroke Louis' hair and adjust Louis' blankets and the coats that covered him.

"Oh," Louis frowned, nodding at the coats on top of him. "Take one of these with you, you son of a bitch. I should kick your ass for going coatless. Just wait till my ribs are better, you'll be in for it then."

"I'm ready," Harry chuckled. "Bring it."

"I'll crush you like the Egghead you are," Louis sighed, his eyes fluttering closed as his hand clasped Harry's tighter. "I love you. And I mean it. Boyfriend."

"I love  _you_  and I mean it. Boyfriend." Harry whispered, tugging the coats higher around Louis as a slight shiver ran through the man. Although, it was more from Harry's words than cold, Louis was suddenly too tired to protest.

And of course, because he hadn't expected anything more, he was still covered with Harry's two coats the next morning, once more with one of Harry's notes that were growing increasingly famous:

_Boyfriend,_

_You need my coats more than I do. I'll see you later and hopefully bring you news on your case. Which is what I've actually supposed to have been doing all this time, but you know how it works. I really hope you don't have a fever today and I want you to know right now I'll be worrying for you the entire time I'm away. I know you worry that I'll get hurt on the job, too. So I'll make you a deal - you stay okay for me, and I'll stay okay for you. Deal? I love you in scary amounts._

_Love (much more than Agent Murs),_

_Other Boyfriend ... AKA Egghead_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's literally going to be so many errors this time because it's 2am and I only used microsoft word to edit SO PLEASE if you see an error, tell me of said error! :) ♥


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic on wattpad, but I'm going to gradually start moving it over to here. I'm LarryWriting (PartyWriting) on wattpad if you're interested in checking out my wattpad as well. There's more things that aren't on AO3 yet, such as a hybrid fic called Uniquely Perfect. (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction. And I do what I want.)

* * *

 

For the next several days, Louis unfortunately had to get worse before he could get better. The next day Harry had returned after Lottie's arrival, Louis began coughing up a disgusting gunk that had apparently settled in his lungs, and it killed the older man's ribs. Harry still visited him though, limping in a way that made Louis want to strangle him for walking. Harry never really got in the way of Lottie or Felicity when they were visiting as well, he simply handed Louis the basin he'd been given, to cough the gunk from his lungs, when he needed it, and rubbed gently at Louis' lower back.

"Why do you keep coming back," Louis asked on the second day of his coughing up gunk. "I'm disgusting."

"Because you're sick, not contagious, and pitiful," Harry had told him fondly, wiping sweat off his brow with a cold cloth. "And I kind of like you"

And unfortunately, Louis was sick and pitiful for five days after. For a few of the days, Louis' fever was so high, even with the medicine he was given, that he moaned pitifully for Harry even if it was only his mother in the room with him.

"Where's my Egghead," he'd whimpered. "Want m'Egghead..."

His mother could do nothing but give him the basin to cough into and stroke his hair sadly, "He's working, baby. He'll visit later, though. He always visits."

Harry felt horrible that he wasn't there when Louis was asking for him, and firmly considered taking off work since his ankle was only seeming to worsen. But he stayed, and he was glad he did, because on the fourth day that Louis was sick, Nick Grimshaw was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and grand theft. However, he knew that if Nick _Grimshaw_ was charged for grand theft, then his Robin Hood would no doubt be charged for it as well. But Harry swore he'd have Olly find Louis a good lawyer since Louis no doubt couldn't afford one of his own, and they'd tell the court all about why Louis had done what he did.

Harry went straight to the hospital as soon as he could get out of work. He raced straight for Louis' room in the hospital, nodding to the guards as he slipped inside. However, Louis was asleep beneath Harry's two coats, and Jay was reading by the window.

She sighed as she closed her book, looking to Harry, "It's been a long day."

"Ah..." Harry said softly, inching over to stroke Louis' hair off his feverish forehead. Louis' nasal tubes, that had become a twenty-four hour thing for the poor man, were whistling softly. "He's been feverish all day?"

"And asking for his 'Egghead'," Jay nodded.

Harry frowned down at Louis, whispering to the sleeping lad, "I'm sorry..."

"He didn't cough up as much mucus today," she said slowly. "I don't know if it's because there's not much left or if because it's settled further into his lungs."

"Let's hope for the first," Harry replied, but then grinned largely. "Guess who got fifteen years to prison today? Nick Grimshaw."

"The man who shot my baby boy?" Jay gasped.

Harry nodded happily, "Bastard got what was coming to him."

"I'm so happy!" Jay breathed in relief. "So Louis is safe?"

"Never really was in danger," Harry promised. "I wouldn't allow it. But he's going to be ecstatic."

"Something tells me he's just going to be glad that _you're_ here. By the way, why are you walking if you're limping still?"

Harry simply blushed, taking up his usual chair and then telling Jay all about the trial, or what he'd heard from Olly at least. Olly had attended, but Payne requested that Harry miss out on it if he wasn't absolutely needed. But he wasn't going to miss Louis' trial no matter what. Eventually, Louis stirred awake with a high whine that broke off into a retching cough.

The agent winced, picking up the basin in case Louis needed it. The man's eyes fluttered open, falling on Harry, "My Egghead!"

"Hello, Shakira," Harry hummed.

"I missed you," he informed him hoarsely. His voice was absolutely shot from coughing, and still without time to recover from the tubes that had been down his throat. " _All_ day."

"I missed you, too," Harry leaned and softly kissed Louis' lips. "My comforter is starting to lose your smell. I need you back."

Louis giggled pitifully, "Then take me with you."

"Deal."

"No way," Jay declared. "He's coming home for a bit. House arrest with me."

"Of course," Harry agreed. "It'll be nice, hmm Louis?"

"You're nice..."

Harry gave Jay a confused look, and she sighed, "It's his medicine and his fever. If he's not loopy he's miserable and sad."

"I see," Harry pursed his lips.

Louis shivered, and Harry stood to fix his blankets and coats. But of course, that set off Louis' protests, "You're still limping! Why won't you sit down?!"

"Love, do you remember when my chest was all bruised?" Harry asked, tucking the blankets more firmly around Louis, being mindful of his ribs and his IV. "How I said that if you weren't there to make me I probably wouldn't have given myself time to heal? I don't like waiting. There's still a lot of things I need to take care of, you being one of them. My ankle can just deal with a little walking."

Louis put on a little pout that Harry found adorable, and the man huffed, "If I wasn't hurt I could take care of you."

"I know you would, Louis," Harry hummed. "But you're hurt, so I'm going to take care of _you._ "

Jay chuckled, "Louis William you've asked for the man all day. Now let him take care of you."

"I just want to like... touch him," Louis huffed.

Harry lifted an eyebrow, "You want to hold my hand?"

"No, I want you to hold me," Louis explained. "I want to touch _all_ of you with all of _me."_

The younger man simply sighed, kissing Louis' forehead and fixing his messy hair. He ran his thumb across Louis jaw and above his lip, tilting his head slightly, "Would you want me to shave your face for you? Is the stubble bothering you yet? It doesn't look bad though, you're sexy."

Louis gave a dopey grin at that, seeming to forget that he was upset, "I'm sexy?"

 "Oh yeah," Harry nodded, moving back to sit down, because in all honesty his ankle really was being a bitch. He did, however, reach out and gently tangle his fingers with Louis'. "Super sexy."

The man looked smug, and Harry had to fight the urge to chuckle. He didn't want to make Louis think that he _wasn't_ sexy, because he was, but he was so tired and loopy that it was hysterical. However, Louis was eventually falling back to sleep without even telling Harry goodnight. He kind of dropped off mid-conversation, and Harry frowned in concern, starting to stand up.

"He's alright," Jay assured. "He's been doing that all day."

"Oh..." Harry mumbled. "And... he's eaten today?"

"He had an early dinner, yes," she nodded. "If he wakes up later on they'll give him crackers."

"So I probably should just go then... let him sleep," Harry sighed. "I wish I could have talked to him longer... I didn't even get to tell him about Nick Grimshaw. We just talked about his sponge bath and his lungs."

"I'm sure he'll be pretty upset with himself tomorrow," Jay murmured in sympathy. "He misses your company when you're gone."

"I miss his, too," Harry admitted with a blush. "He's all I can think about at work. If he's feeling better, what he ate for lunch, if he's warm enough..."

"Well you should really keep a clear head on the scene, correct?" Jay arched a brow. "Distraction is a dangerous thing."

"Right," Harry nodded. "It's probably how I ended up twisting my ankle. If I would have paid better attention I wouldn't have had to move so quick to push my team member behind a shelf."

The woman pursed her lips and stood with a sigh, "Well, try not to do that. Don't get yourself killed. I think my son would be a little sad."

Harry smiled, "Yeah... maybe a little. Are you leaving as well? I'll walk you to your car."

Jay nodded, "Yes, thank you agent."

However, Harry fixed the blankets once more around Louis although they were already covering him decently. He placed the basin and _Robin Hood_ book within reach as well as Louis' cup of water. Jay watched as Harry coddled her sleeping son, wondering how an apparent hard-shelled agent could act so soft and caring. Harry did practically everything she would have done herself. Instead, all she had left to do was step forward and kiss Louis' forehead. Harry waited patiently while she did, and then he leaned and kissed Louis' lips.

"Are we good to go?" Harry asked sadly.

"Don't you usually leave him a note?" Jay asked.

Harry looked to her in surprise, wondering just how she'd known about them, "I... yes, but..."

"He reads them several times a day," Jay explained. "And he blushes furiously each time. They're in one of the coat pockets..."

"I didn't know he liked them," Harry murmured. "...I'll write him one."

Jay waited patiently while Harry stole a piece of paper from the writing pad the nurses hung on the wall, scrawling onto it:

_Dear Shakira,_ _  
You fell asleep on me, silly. That's alright though, you needed to sleep. Like always, I'll be visiting you as soon as I can tomorrow. I've also got some big news to tell you! (If your mother doesn't tell you about it that is). But you look super pitiful as I write this and I almost don't want to leave you... but it'd make people suspicious if I stayed, so I guess I kind of have to. Plus I'm going to walk your mother to her car so she doesn't have to walk through the dark alone. So yes... expect me no later than 6:30pm tomorrow! I'll fight my way out of the bureau if I have to. You're my favourite boyfriend._  
 _Love_  
 _Egghead_

Harry slipped the note between the coats like he usually did, stroking Louis' hair softly. Jay hummed, "Come along, Agent Styles. You're making me feel useless being all caring like you are."

"Oh gosh, no," Harry disagreed as he opened the hospital door for Jay to walk out. The nurse eyed them skeptically, and Harry held the door for her as well as she went in to check on Louis. Once they were out of ear shot of the guards he continued. "You do all that I just did and more practically all day. I show up to make sure he eats dinner and goes to sleep alright... I think you do the most here. You're his mother, after all, mother's always do things so much better."

Harry walked with Jay all the way to her car despite it being on the opposite side of the car park from his own, and she turned to him after opening her door, "Agent Styles?"

The man blinked in surprise, "Yes ma'am?"

"How on earth are you so... chivalrous?" she waved her hand around a bit, and it reminded Harry very much of Louis.

"I've got a good mother myself," he chuckled. "She'd kill me if I was anything but."

"I see," Jay nodded.

"You'll have to meet her sometime?" Harry offered. "If... you'd like, that is. I think you two would be fantastic friends."

"That sounds nice," she agreed. "Especially if you're going to be entering my home... you may be an adult, but I'd still like to meet your mother."

"Louis is still older than me," Harry chuckled. "He's just smaller."

"Yes..." Jay smiled. "Alright, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for walking me here."

"Anytime," Harry grinned, pleased that Jay had used his first name.

After walking to his own car, he stopped to pick himself up some food to eat on his way home, wanked off in the shower to the thought of Louis' lips because it'd been awhile since he'd gotten off, and then climbed into his bed, cuddling the comforter and pressing his face deep into it for the smell of Louis. The next morning, he headed straight to the bureau for an early start. The sooner he got things done, the sooner he could leave.

Zayn and Niall eventually made their way to where Harry was determinedly filling out paperwork, and Niall asked, "Harry, we haven't seen you all morning, mate."

"I'm working, Nialler," Harry pointed out. "Like you should be."

"Not even a week without shagging Louis and he's already a grouch," Zayn sighed dramatically.

Harry gave the man a pointed glare, "You're a prick."

Niall laughed, "Naw, we know you're just trying to get out of here quicker. Louis has changed you into one of us. The sooner we're done here, the better. Or at least when we're filing paperwork. Paperwork can suck my dick."

"Language," Harry scolded.

"You just called me a prick!" Zayn laughed.

"And I'm about to kick you in yours," Harry huffed. "Now leave me to file-"

But then Harry's phone was ringing, and Niall crowed victoriously, "No paperwork for now!"

Harry shushed them as he pressed it to his ear, "Styles."

"Agent Styles," Agent Payne began. "We've got an armed man with four hostages, address South McMahan 8442. It's a petrol station."

Harry blinked in surprise. They usually weren't called in to minor places like petrol stations, mainly banks, jewellery stores, the occasional Tesco's, or warehouses with hidden illegal substances, so he figured the armed man must have been pretty serious, "Right sir, we'll gear up and be right there."

"Hell yeah," Niall crowed as he and Zayn grinned at Harry as he barked out the order to the entire floor, sending the team up and hurrying towards the locker room. They'd been trained to gear up fast, and then they were all rushing out to the bureaus Suburbans, and Harry was surprised to see that Agent Murs' team had been called out as well.

Niall and Zayn simply rode in the Suburban that Harry drove, after Harry had punched in the address in the GPS, and then they were speeding off with the lights and sirens on. At the scene, police cars were blocking off the main walkway in front of the building, and Harry quickly parked the suburban, and the agents all leaped from their vehicles, strategically placing themselves around the building.

Almost instantly, the doors opened and four people came running out. Harry pulled his helmet tighter on his head, drew his gun, and gave the signal to run forward. He led the way through the doors, his hands tightening around the gun as he bellowed, "FBI!"

And almost immediately a shot was firing, and Harry was stumbling backwards at a feeling similar to being punched in the arm. But the punch quickly began burning, and he nearly dropped his gun in surprise as more shots fired, and Zayn bellowed out, "Harry?!"

Harry didn't respond as he felt himself being pulled backwards, but he glanced down at his burning arm that was quickly going numb. The black fabric of his sleeve had a wet look to it, one that was spreading down his arm, and then he realized that oh, it was also dripping onto the floor, "Oh..."

He could hear yelling going on from inside the building, but he was being led to sit on the curb by Zayn as the man said a bit louder than necessary, "It's alright, mate, we're going to call an ambulance."

"No, I'm fine," Harry mumbled. "Um... do you have something to tie this off with? Gettin' kind of dizzy."

"Just, lean against me or something, I'll-"

"I'm..." Harry tried to decipher from the fuzziness blurring the edges of his vision. "I'm probably going to pass out."

"You're going to be alright," Zayn insisted, clearly on the borderline of panicking.

But then Harry simply leaned his head against Zayn's shoulder, mumbling, "Tell my Shakira I might be a little late..."

And allowed his eyes to flutter shut as the blurriness completely clouded his vision.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Louis was extremely disappointed with himself when he awoke, yet his mother had already arrived, so he wasn't all alone. She told him of the letter Harry had left, which also brightened him up a bit. He was still coughing, not coughing up gunk, but coughing badly enough to make his ribs hurt. His fever was finally down, however, which was the positive side of the situation.

"How long did Harry stay last night?" he asked his mother as he had lunch.

"He made sure you were comfortable and really asleep before we left," his mother told him. "He walked me to my car as well... I suppose he is a rather nice man."

"He's so wonderful," Louis sighed.

"His ankle, though," Jay shook her head in wonder. "It clearly hurts him, yet he limps around and makes sure you're comfortable and warm and happy."

Louis frowned, "I don't like that...  he's clearly hurt and I'm okay, he doesn't have to take care of me if it's hurting him to do that."

Jay simply chuckled, continuing to help Louis eat since his right arm was still a bit useless due to his ribs. After he finished his lunch, a nurse entered the room to change all the necessary and disgusting bags attached to Louis, and wiped down his upper body, legs, face, and hair with a sponge, letting him wash his more private areas, although that was a bit difficult to do.

He was propped up more efficiently to lessen the heaviness of his chest, and he read from _Robin Hood_ as he waited for Harry to arrive. The note had said no later than 6:30pm, and Louis was more than ready to see the man since he hadn't gotten to see him much the day before.

"So once your pneumonia is better, they're talking about moving you out of the ICU," Jay told him. "They said your lung seems to be making a full recovery, and despite your coughing your ribs are getting better, too."

"Would Harry be able to visit me easier, then?" Louis asked hopefully.

"I think he can visit you easy anywhere, love," his mother chuckled.

Louis tried to go back to reading, but as the clock neared 6:30pm he was too eager. But then, it was past 6:30pm, and he was sadly picking at his blankets with a pout on his face, "He always gets stuck at work. It makes me upset. I want to see him, too! Niall and Zayn can't have him all the time. Can I use your phone to text him?"

"Love, the nurse caught you texting and you got in trouble," Jay pointed out. "He said he'd be here, and if he lied then... I'm not surprised. I knew that there had to be something wrong, he can't be that perfect."

"No," Louis disagreed. "He is perfect..."

"Okay, love," she sighed. "Are you hungry, would you like some dinner?"

Louis shook his head with a pout, "I want Harry to be here first..."

Nearly an hour passed, and Louis moaned, "Not even Lottie or Felicity are here this time to distract me! Maybe if I cough he'll just show up... like last time?"

There was suddenly a knock on the door, and then an unfamiliar voice called, "May I step in for a moment?"

Jay narrowed her eyes, "You're the lead agent on this case."

"Agent Murs?" Louis murmured in confusion. "Uh..."

"It's about Harry."

Something about the tone in Agent Murs' voice sent Louis' stomach dropping, and he croaked out, "Come in, then, come in! What about Harry?"

The brunet man came into the room, his hands clasped in front of him. Louis examined his face, trying to figure out if there was good news or bad news. Surely the man was just going to tell him that Harry had gotten held up at the bureau.

"So you haven't been told? Or haven't heard?"

"No?" Louis half shrieked, and then began coughing, trying to croak out between his coughs. "What about him, where's Harry?!"

Jay stepped forward nervously as a nurse came bustling in to try and soothe Louis, whose limbs were flailing as he tried to push away the blankets and coats he had on him. He had to get up, had to hear what Agent Murs was saying. The nurse gave him something in his IV as Agent Murs apologised repeatedly, but Louis was still panicking. 

"Love-" Jay tried, reaching for Louis' arms as Louis made like he wanted to rip his IV out.

Louis shook his head desperately but left his IV alone as his mother grabbed his hands, trying to look to Agent Murs, "Where's Harry?! What's wrong, is he okay? I knew he wouldn't have been late if he couldn't help it but- for fuck's sake, where is he?"

But much to his dismay he could feel himself growing weaker. Whatever the fuck the nurse had put in his IV was forcing him to relax, was making him sleepy. His mother looked to the nurse, "Is that calming him?"

"I guess I didn't realize how much this would stress him out..." Agent Murs mumbled in embarrassment.

"No, oh God, p-please," Louis coughed out a moan, all of his panic building up into one hoarse sob. "Harry- is he alright?"

"Just relax, Mr. Tomlinson," the nurse interrupted before Agent Murs could say anything.

Louis could feel the tears slipping down his cheeks as the rest of his limbs felt heavy, didn't want to move, "Harry..."

"Is alive," Agent Murs said quickly as Jay gasped in surprise at her son's tears. "He's alive, mate."

Louis gave a sob of relief, and gave in to the medicine.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

* * *

 

Harry woke up with a headache and an extremely stiff arm. Before he could even comprehend where he was at, there was a blonde haired man hovering over him, "Hiya, mate."

"What..." Harry mumbled in confusion, his voice groggy.

"Harry!" Zayn's voice gasped. "How does your arm feel?"

Harry turned to blink at Zayn in surprise, and then he remembered it all. Going into the petrol station, feeling the burning hit to his arm, and then Zayn dragging him from the building only for him to pass out on the older man's shoulder. Harry's eyes widened, "Shit, did you get the guy? Christ, I'm sorry lads, I should have manned up and-"

"Harry," Zayn scoffed. "You passed out from fucking blood loss. 'Manning up' wouldn't even prevent that from happening. And yeah, we got him. Don't apologise."

"Did it get my brachial artery or something?" Harry shook his head. "No, I'd probably be dead if that happened."

"Hit just to the right," Zayn shook his head. "You're so lucky. If the guy had been a better shot he could have even got you where the vest doesn't cover. Beneath your arm. It was a close one, mate."

"I'm guessing I had surgery, then?" Harry asked. "But I'm in clothes..."

"Sweats and a t-shirt," Zayn nodded. "We put you in them."

"Yeah, they already got the bullet out of you arm," Niall explained. "Had to do a minor surgery. But I bet you could leave if you really want-"

"Don't tell him that!" Zayn backhanded Niall across the chest, and Harry laughed aloud.

"Thanks, Nialler," he grinned. "I'm not too fond of being in hospi- _Louis!_ "

Harry felt horrible then, he didn't know how but the thought of his Robin Hood had completely slipped his mind. He moved to climb from the bed, but Zayn was instantly there and shaking his head, "Is probably in a better condition than you are-"

"Did you tell him where I was? What hospital is this?" Harry asked anxiously.

"I didn't," Zayn shook his head. "And Louis is still in this hospital. But he's in the ICU. You aren't."

Harry blanched, "You didn't tell him where I _was_? Zayn I asked you to tell him! He's going to think I just abandoned him or something. I'm going to see him."

"No, no," Zayn protested. "You need to sit and relax, you just woke up from surgery!"

"Fuck off," Harry grumbled. "I'm perfectly fine and I want to see Louis."

Niall sneakily pressed the call button, and moments later a nurse came into the room with a helpful smile, "Everything alright?"

"Yes," Harry smiled, shooting Niall a pointed look. "I'd like to make a visit to a friend in the ICU. Is it alright for this IV to come out?"

"Can you keep fluids down?" the nurse asked hesitantly.

Harry pursed his lips, "I don't see why I wouldn't be able to..."

Niall sighed, and Harry watched as the blonde looked to Zayn, "I guess we _are_ dealing with Harry Styles here. When his other arm was grazed he laughed about it the entire way to the hospital. He would be the one to just get up after surgery and go visit his boy-"

Zayn coughed loudly to cut off the man, but the nurse didn't seem to be paying any attention. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and Niall winced in apology. But then the nurse was removing the IV from Harry's hand and lightly touching his wrapped arm, "The doctor should probably still come talk to you about this. You've got stitches from surgery."

"I see," Harry sighed, looking to the clock on the wall and groaning. "It's almost 9pm?"

"You had surgery!" Zayn said in disbelief. "What else did you expect?"

"Not nearly three hours later than I told L- ...Tomlinson that I would meet with him."

"Oh!" the nurse murmured. "You're visiting the criminal in the ICU?"

"It's my responsibility to keep him updated on his case and to answer any questions he has..." Harry said softly.

The nurse nodded, "I'll go get the doctor so you can see to your duties. He'll probably prescribe painkillers and antibiotics to prevent infection."

Harry smiled in response, and the nurse left the room. The lead agent swung his feet over the side of the bed, smacking at Zayn's hands as they reached out to try and sturdy him, "Malik- cut the shit."

"You're _hurt_ ," Zayn said in exasperation.

"The only thing injured is my bicep!" Harry flung out his good arm. "I don't plan to go for weight lifting champion of the year anytime soon, so don't worry about my damn arm. If it makes you feel any better, I won't stand yet."

Zayn pouted after that, and Niall rambled off on some tangent on how they should make bulletproof long sleeved shirts rather than vests. Harry patiently pointed out that such a thing would make it extremely hard to bend your arm at the elbow. Yet then, Harry began to grow impatient as over twenty minutes had passed and his doctor still hadn't returned.

Finally, after Harry was prepared to just head to the ICU anyway, a tall and slender man entered the room with a clipboard and a white pharmacy bag, "Evening, Agent Styles."

"Hello, sir," Harry murmured.

"You're extremely lucky, did you know?" the doctor chuckled. "Not only did the bullet miss your brachial artery, but you also escaped muscle damage as well. You would have been out of work for much longer receiving physical therapy."

"Oh," Harry blinked in surprise. "Oh that's... it's good I don't have to do that."

"I've also got your medication here," the doctor continued. "Take one pill from each bottle with every meal. Don't take them with alcohol... what else... oh yes, we'll have you back here within a week to see if those stitches can come out and to check on your arm. Until then, keep them covered when you sleep and shower but don't cover them during the day. Clean them with alcohol-free disinfectant wipes."

"I've got some of those left from when my other arm was grazed," Harry chuckled.

"Well, I put more in this bag with your medicine," the doctor offered it out to Harry, who accepted it with his good arm. The doctor looked to Zayn and Niall, pursing his lips. "Friends of Agent Styles?"

"Friends and teammates," Harry nodded. "And probably my ride to get my car."

Zayn shook his head, "Ride home. We'll go get your vehicle, but Niall's driving it and I'm driving you."

Harry rolled his eyes, but the doctor chuckled, "That's probably good. Harry should avoid using his arm until his stitches are out. Even then he shouldn't lift anything heavy."

The lead agent nodded, wanting the doctor to just let him leave already. He could only hope that Louis wasn't angry with him for arriving late. It wouldn't even be surprising to him if Louis was already asleep. And then much to his relief, the doctor was saying farewell and leaving Harry with his medicine. The lad stood from the bed, wincing as his ankle protested, and limped towards the door. As soon as he started walking, he almost instantly regretted it as two gasps sounded from behind him.

"Is your ankle hurt?" Zayn asked.

Harry sighed, "It's been bugging me for a bit now, it's only twisted. I just haven't given it a rest."

"Well you're off work for a week," Zayn hissed, walking over as if he were going to help Harry walk. Niall knew better, lingering behind Harry instead. "You've got plenty of time to heal."

Harry brightened a bit, "And plenty of time to apologise to Louis for not letting him know I was going to be late."

"You're fucking insane, mate," Zayn grumbled.

Harry smirked to himself then, "No, I'm fucking Louis, remember?"

Niall cackled at that, and Zayn groaned loudly. Harry limped down the hall to the lift, feeling antsy then as Niall and Zayn climbed in. He wanted desperately to see Louis, having not seen the man _all day_. But of course the lift stopped on the next floor up and a few more people got on before it reached the ICU floor. Harry limped off at a fast speed, heading for the double doors leading into the ICU. Zayn and Niall followed much to Harry's surprise. He figured they would wait out in the waiting room.

"I kinda want to see the Robin Hood, too," Niall chuckled. "He's a riot."

"He's alright," Zayn admitted. "And he's kind of heroic, so like..."

Harry nodded to the guards outside the closed door, pointing at it, "Is Ms. Poulston still in there?"

"Tomlinson's mum?" the man nodded. "Yeah, she's in there."

"Mum!" Zayn exclaimed suddenly. "Harry, your mum is coming to see you tomorrow. She wanted you to call her as soon as you could. She knows about your injury."

Harry considered acting angry, but in all honesty he couldn't care less. It had been at least a month since he'd last saw his mother, and his mum still needed to meet Louis. The guard answered Harry's question then, nodding his head, "Yeah, I think the thief was upset about something so his mother is staying longer than normal."

Guilt flooded the lead agent, and he opened the door quickly and limped into the room. Jay was speaking softly to Louis, who was propped up in bed with a full food tray next to him. It appeared that the food hadn't been touched, and Louis' hands were clasped tightly in front of him as he stared at his feet with a worried look on his face.

Zayn grumbled something behind him as Niall apparently ran into him, but Harry was already through the door and limping to Louis' side. Louis, on the other hand, looked to Harry in shock before the man promptly burst into tears and held his arms out, a bit like a small child wanting to be held.

"Louis!" Harry gasped, leaning to give Louis an awkward hug. He wanted to hug him tight, but he didn't want to hurt the older lad's ribs. "I'm- I'm so sorry I'm late, I got a little-"

"Shot," Louis half coughed half sobbed, clearly not caring about his ribs and practically squeezing the life out of the lead agent. "You got a little shot."

But then Louis was pushing gently at Harry's chest with his good side's hand and shaking his head, still fighting a cough. Harry pulled back in confusion, and Louis was gently running his fingers across Harry's bandaged arm with tears still pouring down his cheeks. Harry still felt extremely guilty, "How'd you know?"

"Agent Murs," Jay murmured. "He came and tried to tell us... but Louis had to be er... sedated? So he told me, and then I told Louis once he woke up since Agent Murs had to go talk to you two's boss about something."

"Sedated?" Harry frowned, trying to wipe at Louis' tears with his good hand. It was positively breaking his heart to see Louis cry. He'd only seen it happen once with all the shit Louis had been through, and it was when he'd had to say goodbye to all the kids and Tina.

"He was a bit... panicked," Jay sighed, looking to Louis. The poor lad had tugged Harry closer once more, clearly not caring whether or not he was hurting himself, and was sniffling into Harry's torso. "Agent Murs didn't come right out and tell us that you were alright. He just asked us if we heard, and he looked... forlorn? To be honest I figured you were on your deathbed, myself."

"No, no," Harry assured softly, stroking at the back of Louis' hair. "I'm fine... do your ribs hurt in this position, Shakira?"

Louis shook his head, and Zayn stepped closer hesitantly, "The bullet completely missed his brachial artery and the muscle, so once they'd removed the bullet with surgery he was basically fine. He's just got some stitches and needs to let his arm heal. He's not going back to work for at least a week."

Harry nodded in agreement, but Louis didn't pull back. If anything his arm on his good side clenched tighter into Harry's t-shirt. The agent tilted his head slightly, "Hey... I know crying is free range, but... but I'm okay. Please don't cry. I don't like it when you're sad."

Louis pulled back a little, looking up at Harry, "I'm twenty-four, I can cry like a baby if I want."

"My baby," Harry cooed.

"I'm older than you," Louis whispered, moving slowly at releasing Harry only to grab his hands. "You're okay?"

"Peachy keen," Harry grinned. "M'on drugs, I think. Can't even feel it. It's just a little stiff."

"Oh..." Louis breathed, still sniffling a tad.

"I've got battle scars on both my arms, you've got one on your ribs..." Harry rambled.

"I don't think that's a good thing," Louis glared. "I didn't like that, not knowing if you were alright or not... don't do it again please."

Zayn sighed, "Louis, it's kind of the territory that comes with being an agent. Harry will more than likely get shot at more often than-"

"Don't say that!" Louis gasped. "That scares me, I don't-"

Harry glared at Zayn, "You aren't helping this situation."

"Egghead," Louis whimpered pitifully. "Don't leave me alone, Egghead... I'd miss you so much."

Harry leaned down and gently kissed Louis, stroking the hair back from his forehead, "I'm not going anywhere, Robin Hood. How are you, by the way? Still sporting the nasal tubes I see, but your voice sounds like it's getting better! You aren't as hoarse!"

"Don't make this about me," Louis scolded. "Please sit down, you're making me nervous. You had surgery today."

Harry sighed, limping to pull up his usual chair, "Before you say anything, getting shot was _not_ my ankle's fault. I'm just kind of stupid."

Niall, who had been awkwardly standing by the door, laughed suddenly as he joined Zayn standing a few feet away from the end of Louis' bed, "Don't listen to Styles, it would have happened to anyone who was in the lead. It just _happened_ to be Harry."

Harry carefully sat down, taking Louis' awaiting hand, "I honestly don't get shot at that much."

"You have been physically hit by a bullet three times since I met you," Louis croaked. " _I only met you two weeks ago!_ "

"Okay, so it seems like a lot," Harry said slowly. "It's just been a rough two weeks all around, hmm? But it'll get better. For one, Nick Grimshaw is in prison for the next fifteen years. Maybe more, who knows with that asshole."

"And when he does get out, he'll still be on probation for who knows long," Zayn added.

Louis was running his thumb softly over the beginning of the bruise Harry's IV had left on his hand, "But I'm not worried about Nick Grimshaw... just you, Harry."

"I'm alright," Harry promised. "It looks like they brought you more chicken salad on wheat bread. You said that was alright, yes? Eat some?"

Louis shook his head, "I want to talk to you... make sure you're really here."

Jay chuckled from the spot she'd taken up at the window, "It seems to me like he really is there, love. Eat. You never ate dinner, you need to eat."

The lead agent sighed, "Oh, Shakira... you never ate?"

"I was worried," the older lad mumbled. "My mum said Agent Murs said you were alive and okay, but how did I know if he was telling the truth? Maybe he just wanted me to think that you were okay so that I wouldn't... I don't know..."

"Cause a scene?" his mother suggested gently. "Try to take out your own IV and try to climb out of bed?"

"Louis!" Harry frowned.

"Don't act innocent, Harry," Zayn accused. "I was fairly certain that if the doctor didn't get in the room sooner you were about to take the IV out yourself or just drag the pole up to the ICU with you."

Niall laughed, "Zayn kept trying to make Harry wait awhile since he'd just woken up, and I thought Harry was going to take Zayn out with the IV pole."

Harry's nose scrunched, and he leaned closer to Louis, softly kissing the man's knuckles, "Let's ignore them. I'll make you a deal... I haven't eaten anything yet either, but how about we split the sandwich? Will you eat, please, boyfriend?"

"I..." Louis sighed, but then nodded. Harry figured it was the boyfriend term that won him over. It always won him over, as well. "If you eat, too."

So Harry and Louis split the sandwich, and Niall and Zayn eventually waved goodbye to Louis since he was focused way to much on Harry to be of any real conversation. Jay even stood eventually, after the two had eaten of course, and sighed, "It's much later than I usually stay, I really should get back to the girls."

"Oh," Louis frowned. "I didn't realise it was so late..."

"I'll walk you to your car?" Harry offered.

"And then you'll be back?" Louis gasped.

Harry winced, "Well, love, I..."

"But I barely got to talk to you!" Louis shook his head frantically. "I'm still not sure that you're okay, and you can't walk my mum to her car you're going to limp my mum to her car! I don't think I like this at all, I just want you to stay here with me where I can see you and I know that you really are okay because you're talking and joking with me and, and-"

Louis broke off into panicked coughs, and Harry softly reached out to take the smaller man's face in his hands, "Hey... it's okay. I'm alright, and everything is going to be okay."

The lad was still frowning, his eyes searching Harry's face, "I'm scared for you..."

Harry smiled, wishing he could climb into bed with Louis and snuggle him up into his arms. He'd have a face full of feathery hair, Louis' smell in his nose, and Louis' surprisingly cold feet tucked against his ankles. He wanted it so badly. But instead, he leaned and softly brushed their lips together before nuzzling his nose against Louis' cute, smaller one, "Don't be. Zayn and Niall are taking me home so they're probably going to take me to bed on a stretcher, make sure I take my medicine, hell, they might even read me a bedtime story. Give me a juice box."

Louis giggled, and the lead agent smiled triumphantly until Louis' hand clenched onto his t-shirt, "And... you aren't going to work?"

"Right," Harry agreed. "I think my mum is actually coming to help me around the house. So you'll get to meet her!"

Louis blinked, "In a gown having not had any sort of hygiene treatment other than a toothbrush and occasional sponge baths?"

"Don't forget the tubes in your nose," Harry pointed out, and Louis whimpered. "I'm kidding, love, you look positively stunning."

"You're a liar."

"But you love me," Harry reminded, kissing his boyfriend once more. "Do you think you can hold up without me, now? I know... I know I usually wait until you're asleep, but-"

Louis nodded, "You should probably rest, too. I know you say you're fine, but you had surgery, so-"

"And probably a blood transfusion," Harry chuckled. "They didn't say so, but I think it's implied. You had one! We both have fresh blood."

"That's disgusting."

"Louis, love, you should release Harry's shirt if he's ever planning on leaving."

"Mum, don't let him walk you to your car..." Louis croaked out, but he released Harry's shirt and cupped Harry's face to try and bring him closer for one last kiss. "I love you, Egghead."

"Do you mean it?"

Louis gave a fond sigh, "I love you and I mean it."

"I love _you_ and I mean it, Shakira," Harry chuckled. "See? Perfectly fine. Wouldn't feel like being an asshole if I wasn't. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early. Soon as I can get here!"

The older boy nodded, and Harry stepped aside so Louis' mum could kiss his forehead, "Goodbye, baby. I'll see you tomorrow. I think Lottie is coming to say goodbye tomorrow as well, she has to go back to UNI."

"Aw," Louis pouted, but nodded. Jay moved, and Harry found Louis' gaze meeting his once more. He hurried forward then, making his usual round of tucking Louis in firmer under the blankets and coats, making sure everything was in his reach, and fawning over his hair a bit before Louis laughed. "Okay, this is probably the only time you'll ever here this from me, but _go_. Go home and rest, I expect your full attention tomorrow."

"Bye, Louis," Harry giggled, not even caring that it was far from manly. He figured the other lads were right and that he and Louis actually _were_ teenage girls. "I'll see you tomorrow."

But then he figured Jay probably needed to get back to Louis' siblings, so he held open the hospital room door, cheekily blew Louis one last kiss, and then blushed as a nurse nearly caught him. He limped quickly after Jay, who lifted her eyebrow at him, "Louis is right, you know. You aren't walking me to my car."

"I'll have Niall do it, then," Harry insisted. "It's dark and cold, the hospital car park is-"

"I'm a grown woman, but I'm not elderly," she laughed. "I don't need a young man to walk me across the street."

"Oh no," Harry shook his head. "That's not what I-"

Jay stopped then, grabbing Harry by his elbow once they'd left the large metal ICU doors and leading him off to the side in a fashion that only mothers could manage, "Let's talk, Harry."

Harry swallowed hard. This was the woman that Louis had gotten all of his sass and ferocity from, but whereas Louis was more like a kitten, Jay was definitely more threatening. Predator like. None of his training would ever prepare him for the wrath of a mother, "Um... did I do something wrong?"

She chuckled, "No, I've been doing something wrong. I haven't been very pleasant towards you, and I'd like to apologise. You've been nothing but kind to me from the beginning, and from what Louis tells me and from how I see you act around him, you treat my boy well. So in all honesty, I had no reason to act so disapproving of you."

"You were simply protecting Louis," Harry insisted. "I get that... I'm his boyfriend rather than his mother and I've only known him for two _weeks..._ well technically a year, but... anyway, I know how it feels. To want to protect him from anything that could bring him harm, or... or take him away from you."

Jay smiled fondly, "Yes, but now I realise you're not someone I have to protect him _from_. You're a very good man, Harry Styles. You're a good agent and an even better person for my son. I just want you to know that."

Harry grinned, "Now I _have_ to walk you to your car."

"Try walking me to my car and I will break your other ankle," she warned, but she winked at him and patted his arm. "I'll see you tomorrow, dear. Preferably before breakfast, if you can? That's usually when they give Louis his sponge bath, I'm hoping you can talk him into it easier than I can."

"Right," Harry chuckled. "See you tomorrow."

Jay headed off towards the lift, and Harry limped to find the other two agents. He found them in the waiting room with milkshakes, so he assumed at one point they'd left him there. However, there was a third milkshake on the table that Zayn held out to him, and he gratefully accepted it.

"We would have brought your boyfriend one, too," Zayn explained. "But we didn't know how to get it to him without the nurses seeing."

"I'll get him one soon," Harry murmured, sipping at his extremely melt-y shake. "I've snuck an entire bag of sandwiches in, I think I can manage a milkshake."

"Where's your medicine?" Zayn asked suddenly.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Relax, I'm not eight years old. I can keep track of my own medicine."

"Oh yeah?" Zayn arched a brow. "Then where is it."

Harry huffed, reaching into his sweats pocket and pulling out the rolled up bag, "Here. These pockets are so damn large, I'm pretty sure _I_ could fit in them."

Niall snickered, but quieted as Zayn threateningly held his milkshake over the blonde lad's head. The three agents made their way, slowly for Harry's sake, to the lift. Like Zayn had said, he actually did make Harry stay in the vehicle while Niall got Harry's car, and they took the younger lead agent back to his house. They followed him in, sat around while he showered and brushed his teeth, and made sure he was actually in bed and medicated before they finally left him alone.

He found his phone, that he'd been completely lost as to where it had gotten placed, on his side table. He figured Zayn had been in possession of it. After shooting a quick apologetic text to his mother to let her know that he was fine and excited to see her the next day, he rolled onto his good arm, cuddled the comforter that sadly no longer smelled like Louis with his bad one, set an alarm to wake up early to get to the hospital, and gradually fell asleep, despite the throbbing that started up in his bicep.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Please don't point them out to me. I'll allow constructive criticism on my grammar and writing style, but don't fuck with my plot. Okay? Okay.)

* * *

 

Harry woke up to fingers running through his curls, and for a moment he smiled and hummed, "Morning, Shakira..."

"Er..." a familiar voice that was _not_ his Shakira's responded.

Harry was rocketing up and scrambling back, grunting at the pain that flared up in his arm and croaking out, "What the fu-"

"Harry!" his mother was standing with her hands raised in defense. "Relax, relax... do you know Shakira? Why would Shakira be in here?"

The lead agent groaned, leaning forward in his sitting position to glance at his injured arm before running a hand down his face, "Mum? How did you even get in here, you scared the hell out of me."

"Zayn left me a key in the broken flower pot..." she said slowly. "I gave that flower pot to you, what happened to it?"

Harry was much too sleepy to think at the moment, but he recalled Louis saying that he'd accidentally broken it the first day he'd arrived at Harry's, "My boyfriend, who is agile at any other time, tripped over it... my boyfriend! I've got to get to the hospital, what time is it?"

"You're hurt..." his mother frowned. "You shouldn't be going anywhere."

Harry loved his mother dearly, but he didn't appreciate being coddled. Unless, of course, he was being coddled by a feathery haired, bright eyed Louis. That wasn't so terrible. He worked his way one handed off of his bed, however, grabbing a pair of jeans and t-shirt to shrug on in the bathroom. He called over his shoulder to his mother on the way out, "Would you like to drive me, mum?"

She sighed, but he heard her as she walked past the bathroom and into the kitchen. He could hear her rustling around as he pulled on his shirt with difficulty, wincing as the fabric rubbed against his bandaged stitches. Once his shirt was on, he pushed up the sleeve a bit and carefully removed the bandage so he could wipe at his arm with the wipes the doctor had given him, used the sink to take his medicine and brush his teeth, and ran his fingers through his hair until it looked somewhat decent. He then hurried into the kitchen where his mother was.

His mum turned and looked at him with a raised brow, "You're looking quite decent just for a hospital trip."

Harry shook his head in confusion, "Mum... I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt, I-"

"And how's your arm? Let me look at that..."

"It's alright," Harry insisted. "But I promised Louis that I would be at the hospital as soon as I could get there? So can we maybe-"

"We can," his mother agreed with a sigh. "But you're calling your sister on the way there. She was worried about you, but she had to work today. She'll answer if it's you, though."

So Harry did just that, letting his mother drive him in her car while held the seat belt awkwardly so it wouldn't rub his stitches, and called his sister Gemma. She was answering on the first ring, and Harry could already hear the affectionate tone that she always masked with a bit of mocking, "What did my idiot baby brother do to get himself hurt this time?"

"Just took a bullet to the arm is all, Gem," Harry grinned.

"Mhmm," Gemma agreed. "And then you didn't even call mum and I to tell us that you were alright after Zayn told us you'd been shot. _Zayn_ had to call us. _Again_."

"I was... busy," Harry huffed in defense. "I have a friend-"

"Is he cute?"

Harry's nose scrunched, "No, Gemma!"

"Oh," Gemma said in surprise. "You can usually catch the cute ones, you've always-"

The young agent released the seatbelt in exasperation, wincing as it rubbed his stitches, and let his head fall back against the headrest, "You're already exhausting me and I just woke up like twenty minutes ago! I _meant_... that yes, he is extremely cute, but no, you can't have him."

"He's probably too young for me anyway," she sighed dramatically.

"No, actually," Harry shot back. "He's only a year younger than you."

He heard his sister laugh loudly, and he could almost see the way she'd quickly muffle it with her hand as she looked around to see if she'd disturbed any of her fellow coworkers. Being unable to control the volume of laughter unfortunately ran in the Styles family. She sighed then, still laughing as Harry chuckled at his older sister, "Ah, baby brother. I do miss you. So please don't get yourself shot again before I get the chance to come see you!"

"Miss you, too, Gem," Harry murmured. "I'll come see you if you can't come see... I'm off for a bit because of my arm. I do have other priorities that have to come first but-"

"Do you mean your 'friend'?" Gemma chuckled.

"I do."

She laughed again, "Have fun with that, then, H."

"Have fun at work, Gem," Harry smirked, and he heard her grumble something before he tacked on. "I love you?"

"Love you, too, you idiot."

Harry hung up the phone, slipping it back into his pocket, and noticed his mother grinning at him from the corner of his eye. He frowned, looking to her, "Did you tell her to give me shit about Louis?"

"Nope," his mother shook her head. "That's _all_ Gem. I'm just laughing because she did."

The curly haired man frowned, trying to cross his arms without hurting his stitches, "Louis is really nice! I know you're going to like him. And Jay isn't bad either, she wants to meet you-"

"Wait, wait," Anne lifted one hand off the wheel. "Jay?"

"Louis' mother..." Harry explained. "She wants to meet you? She told me that I was chivalrous and she wanted to know why I am the way that I am... so I told her it was because you'd probably hurt me if I wasn't. And since Louis and I are together, it's probably nice if our mothers know one another."

"Louis is... a criminal," Anne said slowly.

"He's a Robin Hood," Harry disagreed. "All profit he made off of what he stole went to benefit a foster home. I was there, I _met_ them. And Louis loved all of those kids so much, he knew them all by name and knew their hobbies and skills... he's not a criminal. I swear."

"Okay," she nodded, and then they were pulling into the hospital car park. "Okay, I believe you. I guess I'm excited to meet him and Jay as well."

"I like him a lot..." Harry continued. "Love him, even."

Anne found a place to park, and Harry led the way inside. He held the doors open for his mother before leading her right past the front desk and towards the lift. She frowned, but he motioned to his jeans pocket where his badge was placed, and she rolled her eyes as the lift door closed, "Using your occupation to your benefit I see..."

"This is business, mum," Harry tsked. "I'm keeping Louis up to date on his case."

"You're not supposed to be working."

Harry didn't respond, simply grinned and looked up to the changing floor numbers. He led his mother off on the ICU floor, leading her towards the large metal doors, "He's not too far from here."

"Am I allowed back here?" she asked hesitantly.

"You are," he insisted. "Come along."

But as he walked through one of the large doors, holding it for his mum, he was slightly surprised when he didn't see Louis' guards outside the door. A slight jolt of concern shot through him as he wondered if Louis had been taken to get his ribs looked at again, but when he poked his head in through the door, the bed was empty. The entire room in general was empty, and Louis' name had been erased off the white board.

His heart was slowly raising into his throat, but then a voice from behind him spoke up, "Sir?"

Anne was looking at him with raised eyebrows as he spun around to see a nurse standing with a pressing look. He held out his good arm, "Uh... Agent Harry Styles. Hi. Looking for a... Louis Tomlinson?"

"We moved him out of the ICU this morning," she nodded. "He's on the third floor now... just walk the hall until you see two men outside the door and-"

"Right," Harry nodded. "I probably know the men... or I know their lead agent at least. Olly Murs. Okay. Thank you."

He let out a breath of relief as he looked to his mother, motioning her to head back to the lifts. She chuckled as she walked alongside of him, and once they were back in the lift she eyed him in amusement, "You alright there, dear?"

"I didn't know he'd changed rooms," Harry gave a breathless laugh. "Kind of startled me a bit. Didn't know where he was."

"Oh yes," his mother grinned. "This is the same guy that made you panic enough that Zayn decided he needed to call me... Zayn calls me a lot about you."

Harry covered his face with his good hand, groaning and silently cursing his friend. Anne and Harry got off the lift on the third floor like the nurse had told them, and Harry led the way down the corridor before freezing as he spotted a hospital gift shop.

"Um... wait right here?"

Anne arched a brow, "What are you going to buy him?"

"Flowers," Harry murmured. "I had flowers for him before, but the ICU wouldn't let me take them to him. They died in my truck... so he needs more."

The agent dug his wallet out of his pocket as he slipped into the store, wandering towards the cooler with the flowers in them. He chose flowers with blue vase and the green bow, because he was probably cliché as fuck but the blue reminded him of Louis' eyes. As he was walking towards the register with them, he suddenly froze in the midst of 'Get Well Soon' stuffed toys. There was a stuffed egg about the size of a basketball, and it had a little red heart in the center. The egg had a face, but all he could think of was the nickname Louis' always called him, and then he was snatching up the stuffed toy and taking it with him as well.

When he'd paid and exited the shop, his mother blinked in confusion at the toy, "Interesting choice... are simple teddy bears too ordinary for you?"

"You'll see," Harry chuckled, but then his mother took the stuffed egg so Harry didn't have to hold the flowers with his bad arm.

They found Louis' door, the agents outside of it a tell-tale sign, and Harry could hear Louis' hoarse laughter from outside. He smiled, glad Louis was feeling better, and he spoke to one of the guards, "Do you know who..."

He trailed off, nodding at the door. The guard shrugged, "Probably a sister. Looked a bit like the guy."

Lottie. Harry turned to his mother, "Should we find a place to sit and wait? I don't want to interrupt if he's talking with his sister."

However, Jay was suddenly opening the door and blanching in surprise. Harry gaped at her for a moment, but then gave her a slight smile, "Er... hi."

"Harry?!" Louis gasped from inside. "S'that you?"

"You're late," Jay said slowly, and Harry winced, but then she smiled warmly. "But that's quite alright. They've been doing all sorts of things with Louis today. He walked about halfway here."

Harry's eyebrows shot up, but then Anne laughed and sidestepped around Harry, who was nonchalantly trying to get in the door to Louis, to outstretch her hand, "Since my son is clearly too caught up to introduce me, I'm Anne. You must be Jay?"

"That's me," Jay smiled, shaking her hand as well. "Harry's a lovely young man."

"I'd say the same for Louis from what I've heard about him," Anne chuckled. "I just... have yet to meet him."

"Harryyy-" Louis called again, drawing out the man's name.

"Shall we meet him now?" Harry asked motioning with his hand and looking at the guards who had moved away from the door a bit to give them space. Luckily, they didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation, or else it'd be pretty suspicious sounding to them.

Jay's eyes fell on the flowers, and Harry noticed as her smile widened a bit more as she held the door open for them. Harry walked in first, his mother following close behind. Lottie gave Louis a hesitant look at the sight of Harry, but Louis gave a crinkly eyed smile to Harry. He seemed completely showered, wasn't hooked up to IV's, but did have the oxygen monitor on. He was still in a gown, but he was sitting up better against pillows and looked almost normal, aside from the oxygen tubes that were for some reason still in his nose.

"It is Harry!" Louis cheered. "I missed you! How's your arm?"

"I missed you, too, love. My arm is fine," Harry murmured softly, carrying Louis' flowers over to put them on his bedside table. "Spur of the moment thing, so there's no card..."

"A kiss will do," Louis said patiently, craning his head up so Harry would kiss him. "Thank you for the flowers... I should get you some, too, you're hurt."

The curly haired agent gave Louis his desired kiss, shaking his head about the flowers, and then Harry could hear Jay whisper something to Anne. Harry pulled back quickly, "Oh! Um, Louis... this is my mum, Anne. Mum, this is Louis."

"Hello, Louis," Anne smiled at the boy warmly.

"Hello, Anne," Louis grinned, moving his arm out to touch Harry's hip. "You have... an egg?"

"Oh yes," Anne stepped forward to pass the egg to Harry, and Harry offered it sheepishly to Louis.

"It's also for you," Harry blushed. "I thought it, uh... I thought it was cute."

He wasn't entirely sure why he was feeling so easily flustered. He supposed it was because Louis was _Louis_ and Harry wanted him to be happy, and Harry'd gotten him flowers and a measly stuffed egg. Louis' eyes widened at the gift, and he accepted it instantly.

"It's an Egghead!"

"I think it's a Humpty Dumpty..." Lottie supplied.

"Shush, Lottie dear, it's an Egghead," Louis declared, hugging the egg carefully before placing it beside him. "But there's no Egghead greater than my Egghead. My Egghead brings me flowers."

Harry felt a bit better that Louis liked his gifts, and he smiled in adoration at the feathery haired man. Louis seemed so happy he was nearly glowing. And Harry liked it a lot. He ran his hands over Louis' soft hair, "Got to shower I see?"

"I did," Louis sighed happily. "And my chest isn't all heavy, I got to walk a little bit... but then my ribs kind of hurt so I had to sit propped up for a bit before I could shower. I guess my oxygen levels were low, but as soon as they're normal again these nose tubes can come out once more."

"And I'm here," Lottie joked, but then she stood and gave Harry a small wave. "Hi... my names Lottie, I'm Louis' sister."

"Hello, Lottie," Harry held his hand out to her, shaking it. "Louis has told me about you!"

"I've heard about you in my time of visiting Louis, as well," she murmured, and then Harry was suddenly very aware of Lottie thoroughly examining him. Louis seemingly noticed as well, as he cleared his throat.

"Um, Lotts?" Louis said slowly. "No."

"No what?" Lottie chuckled.

" _My_ federal agent," Louis said firmly. "Mine. He's too old for you."

"I'm nineteen!" she laughed.

Harry stood in silence, feeling a tad stunned and slightly awkward. Louis simply snorted, giving one of his famous eye rolls and crossing his arms, "You go back to UNI today. How are you planning on making that work with someone who has a great job here in London?"

"Long distance works," Lottie insisted, and then teasingly winked at Harry.

Harry's eyes widened, and then Jay was stepping in to Harry's rescue, "Leave the poor man, alone. He probably has girls trying to hit on him all the time. We're attracted to nice, heroic men like Harry. Just like Louis is."

"Or maybe I just like people who try to throw me in jail," Louis joked.

Anne spoke up then, chuckling a bit, "From what Harry told me he wasn't trying very hard, and is no longer trying. You aren't a criminal, correct? Harry called you Robin Hood?"

"Robin Hood, Shakira," Louis nodded. "That's me! He's my Egghead. My frog face."

"So _you're_ Shakira!" Anne burst out laughing. "I woke him up by running my fingers through his hair and he called me Shakira! I figured he would know it was me, but I guess he thought it was you. It's how I would always wake him when he was younger and would fall asleep on me, he absolutely loves it when people play with his curls-"

" _Mum_..." Harry covered his face. It was as if he wasn't twenty-two years old.

Louis laughed, however, motioning for Harry to sit in his usual chair and for Lottie to sit in hers, "Come, let us listen to tales of baby Harry! All I've seen is bad-ass Agent Styles. What else did Harry do?"

Harry then was forced to listen as his mother told all about how he was afraid of the dark, and how he had always wanted Gemma to put blush on his face. Harry probably would have been irritated if the stories weren't make Louis laugh the way he was laughing. It was obvious that Louis was getting a kick out of a Harry's childhood days, and even Jay chuckled, "He sound like he's been a sweetheart from day one."

"Oh yes," Anne cooed. "He's been a mumma's boy from day one.

Jay nodded, "So has Louis, but he also took on the responsibility of being the man of the house... I, um... I wasn't very good at picking guys. I picked the ones I thought could take care of us, but they usually ended up leaving us worse off than we had started."

"But you're alright now?" Louis nodded for reassurance, and Harry could tell that Jay and the older lad had had the very conversation multiple times over by now. "And if this Daniel guy is a jerk I'll kick his ass."

"I will..." Harry waved his hand of his good arm a bit. "Help kick his ass... legally."

"He's a good guy," Jay assured. "He's eager to meet you! He just figured he'd stay out of your way and let the people you really wanted to see visit you. You'll see him plenty enough once you move back in with us."

"Louis gets my room, doesn't he?" Lottie sighed.

They all laughed, and before they knew it a nurse was bringing Louis a tray of food. She placed it next to his bed, moving to help Louis sit up better, "You can eat this, and then after we can go for a walk again?"

"Yes!" Louis agreed. "I'd love a walk. I'm slowly going crazy having been in this bed for so long."

Jay, Lottie, and Anne all moved to the couch by the window to talk about who knew what, and Harry settled better in front of Louis, who was nibbling at his sandwich. Like always, he tore it in half and offered some of it to Harry. Harry shook his head, "That's alright, you eat it."

"Eat it," Louis frowned. "I want to share with you. You got me flowers and Egghead. And I still have your jackets..."

Louis lifted the sheet covering his legs to reveal that he was indeed draped with Harry's jackets, and Harry chuckled, "Hopefully they keep you warm enough."

"They're no Harry Styles, but..." Louis shrugged, and Harry finally accepted the other half of the sandwich. He was already feeling a bit jittery from taking his pain medication without eating something. Louis squirmed with a frown, "I can't... my ribs still hurt a bit, so it's hard to get comfortable. Instead of medicine being administered through the I.V I just take some pills now. Took some earlier, but I think I might need more."

Harry frowned, "Do you want me to ring the nurse?"

"Nah," Louis shook his head. "They'll probably bring me some medicine when they come to take the food tray away. Here, have some of this applesauce."

There was suddenly a spoon against Harry's lips, and the young agent was forced to open his mouth and let himself be fed the fruity mush. He lifted an eyebrow at Louis, who triumphantly took a bite of applesauce for himself, but then pushed it aside and sipped at the tea he had. He shifted again as he sat his tea down, his nose scrunching.

"Poor baby," Harry sighed, standing to take the tray off Louis. "Like I said, I've only had my ribs bruised. Having them broken has to _hurt_. Let's trade ribs."

Louis rolled his eyes, "No way, you're already hurt too. But the worst pain I think I've been in was... not knowing how badly you were hurt yesterday. That hurt me way more than my ribs ever will."

Harry paused at that, letting Louis' words sink in before he set the tray off to the side, and gently cupped Louis' face in his hands, "I'm okay, though. You're okay. And I didn't mean to scare you yesterday, really, I didn't! I told Zayn to come tell you I was going to be late because when I was sitting in front of the petrol station and bleeding all over the sidewalk-"

The older lad gasped at that, "Thank you for that visual image."

"I've got a similar one," Harry's nose scrunched, but then he felt bad. "Sorry... anyway, I told Zayn to tell you. And he obviously didn't."

"Olly probably would have told me that you were fine and then I'd have been able to calm down but they fucking sedated me," Louis huffed. "I was just going to go look for you myself, is all."

The agent simply smiled, pressing his lips carefully to Louis' and thumbing over his cheeks beneath Louis' nasal tubes, "I see... we don't have to talk about it if you don't want, to..."

"I don't need to," Louis shrugged. "I can see that you're fine... you are fine?"

"I'm fine," Harry grinned, brushing their lips together once more. "Done eating? Or do you want your food tray back?"

Louis reached for his nasal tubes, and Harry gave him a look of alarm as he caught Louis' hands in his. The younger man shook his head in disapproval, and Louis huffed, "I don't want anymore food and I don't want to wear these anymore!"

But then, there was a knocking at the door and a few squeals. Harry and Louis both paused what they were doing, looking in confusion with Harry's hands still gently holding Louis' wrists. Jay stood, beckoning someone to come in, "It's alright, come on in."

Two young girls, probably twelve or thirteen, came barging in. They froze when they saw Harry holding Louis' wrists, and their similar looking faces made the exact same expression, and then one of them exclaimed, "Who are you?!"

"Daisy, Phoebe!" Louis' entire face lit up, and Harry stepped aside so the two girls could rush Louis. Each went on an opposite side of Louis, thrusting their arms out for hugs, which of course Louis obliged. If the hugging was hurting his ribs, it didn't show on his face. He was, however, so happy that he was near tears.

"I wanted to surprise you..." Jay chuckled. "When they took you out of the ICU, I called Dan and asked if he'd take the twins out about an hour early so they could come see you."

Harry then noticed the man inching over towards Jay. Anne smiled at Harry nodding to the door as if to ask if they should step out for a bit to give the family some privacy. The young agent nodded his head, stepping carefully around the young girl in front of him to head towards the door.

"Harry, wait!" Louis objected. "You have to meet Daisy and Phoebe!"

The girls blinked at him before looking to Louis, and the one on his bad ribs side whispered, "Harry?"

They were still clinging to him, and it was obvious that they had missed their big brother. Louis nodded, "Yes, if he'll stay in here we can all meet and catch-up? But first, give me a kiss on the cheek, both of you!"

Giggling, they obliged, and both planted a quick kiss onto Louis' cheeks. They were wearing huge ear to ear grins, bouncing a bit were they stood clinging onto Louis. Anne chuckled, tapping Harry's shoulder, "I'm going to get some food. I'll be back."

The girl on Louis' left picked up the stuffed egg, holding it up in confusion, "Why is Humpty Dumpty in your bed?"

"Oh what is with you guys?" Louis huffed teasingly, taking the stuffed egg from his sister and holding it close. "This is Egghead. My Egghead boyfriend Harry gave him to me."

"Boyfriend!" the twins gasped at the same time, spinning to face Harry, appalled.

Harry waved sheepishly, "Hello..."

"He has stitches," one pointed out.

Louis nodded, "Yes. He gets hurt a lot, I think. I'm going to have to fix that. But, Daisy, Phoebe, meet Harry. Harry, meet Phoebe and Daisy. They look nothing alike, right?"

"Nothing alike at all..." Harry said slowly. "Who is who?"

"I'm Phoebe," the one on Louis' left stated, and Harry decided that she was probably most like Louis by the sassy tone. Almost as if she were shocked that Harry didn't know her from her sister after Louis had only given names.

"Daisy," apparently Daisy stated, also sassily.

Louis sighed at his siblings, and glanced over at Lottie, Jay, and Dan before shaking his head, "Why can't you all just be nice to my boyfriend?"

"I was nice to him!" Lottie exclaimed.

"Too nice!" Louis huffed.

Harry laughed then, holding his hands up, "It's alright... I'm new here, but they already treat me like my own sister treats me. Minus you, Lottie... but that's okay."

"I don't even know him," Dan spoke up softly. "Or you... but... hi, Louis. I'm Daniel Deakin, but you can call me Dan, if you'd like?"

The man walked forward to shake Louis' hand, and Daisy flitted happily out of the way so Louis could reach across himself with his good arm and shake Dan's hand, "Louis Tomlinson... I trust that you've taken care of my mum and my sisters while I was out?"

"I've done my best," Dan nodded. "Probably not near as much as all you've done for them, but I'm here if they need me. If you need me..."

Harry examined the man carefully, feeling strangely protective even though he knew very well that Louis could care for himself and fight his own fights. But Dan seemed trustworthy, wasn't at all closed off and didn't seem anxious. He held eye contact with Louis and had a friendly half-smile on his face. Louis nodded in approval then, and that summed up Harry's approval as well.

"Thank you, then," Louis murmured. "For caring for them while I was... not."

"They weren't in desperate need of help when I got to them," Dan insisted. "You didn't leave them unwell. I've just kind of been there caring for them, but they could manage very well without me. You Tomlinsons seem strong."

The twins once again attached themselves to Louis, telling him stories with their hands swinging all about. Louis listened with full attention, adding in inputs in all of the proper places. Harry was positively entranced by the man. He had known that Louis was good with kids when he'd saw Louis and the children at the foster home, but Louis was just... incredible.

Eventually Dan apologetically stepped up, "Well... I need to get back to the hospital myself, and I should probably get these two back home so Fizzy isn't freaking out when they aren't there. I never could get ahold of her. Plus, I may or may not have snuck them in here."

"It was nice meeting you," Louis told Dan, and then he held his arms out for his sisters. "And I'll see you two coco pops, soon!"

"We are _not_ cereal, Louis," one of them, Harry thought it was perhaps Daisy, huffed.

They gave Louis a kiss on the cheek before Dan kissed Jay's forehead, waved to Harry and Louis, and left with the twins. Harry chuckled then, "They're... I like them. How old are they?"

"Thirteen," Louis responded with a sigh. "They're... different. But you have to love them."

Lottie sighed sadly, coming over to Louis and kissing his cheek, "I've got to go as well... I've got kind of a long drive."

She seemed about to start crying, but Louis held out his arms for a hug and she sucked in a shaky breath. Louis patted at her, "I'm not going anywhere, remember? I'm taking your room."

Lottie nodded, and offered a wobbly grin, "Right... okay."

"Drive safe," Louis pointed a warning finger at her. "We don't need another injured person, do you hear me?"

"I hear you," she wiped at her eyes, and Jay touched her shoulder. "I'll walk her out. Maybe try to find Anne. She should be coming back soon."

The two left, leaving Harry and Louis alone in the room. Louis beamed at his boyfriend, and Harry arched a brow. Louis stretched his arm out to the best of his ability to lightly touch the skin below Harry's stitched arm. It honestly did look horrible, like Harry had at one point had a gaping hole in his arm.

"Did they have to skin graph that?" Louis asked softly.

"I don't think so..." Harry shook his head. "I'm not missing skin anywhere else and there's none of that mesh crap that I've seen on skin graphs. They just stitched me up. It'll heal on it's own."

But then, the nurse from earlier came into the room. Harry quite audibly heard a huff emit from Louis' lips, and he himself was wondering when they would stop getting interrupted. She had a bottle of pills in her hand, holding it out to Louis, "You've got to take these, Mr. Tomlinson, dear, and then you can go for a walk. Feel free to take out the nasal tubes. Sir, are you planning on walking him?"

Harry nodded, surprised that she didn't know he was an agent, "I can, yes."

Louis almost instantly took the nasal tubes out, breaking into a large grin, "Hate these things."

He handed them to the nurse, and she handed him the pill bottle so he could open it and dump two into his hand. Harry offered him his tea to take them with, and he swallowed the pills before handing his tea back to Harry and moving the stuffed Egghead aside.

The nurse offered Louis a hand then, and Harry stepped forward as well. In all honesty it made him nervous that Louis was about to get up, he didn't want Louis hurting himself again. Louis winced as he turned his legs off the bed and inched forward so that his feet touched the ground.

"You might be better at this," the nurse chuckled, offering Harry her spot.

Harry slipped up beside Louis as the nurse stepped back, and he simply stuck a gentle hand behind Louis' upper back, "No pulling upward on his arms, right? Could displace his ribs again..."

"Correct..." the woman chuckled. "Was just about to say that."

Louis gave a slight grunt of pain, but he managed to get to his feet, clinging onto Harry with one hand and panting, "Okay... alright, I think I'm good. Let's walk."

"Catch your breath first..." Harry murmured nervously, and Louis pouted a bit but obliged.

"He's got this," Louis waved to the nurse. "He's a federal agent."

"Oh..." the nurse said in surprise. "Erm... I'll be in the halls if you need me... don't leave the floor, alright?"

She exited the room, and Louis looked at Harry in exasperation, "Egghead... can we _walk_ now."

"You've got to move first, babe," Harry smiled. "We're walking at your pace."

"Wait-" Louis started in alarm. "What arm is behind me-?!"

" _Not_ my bad one," Harry chuckled. "Move those hips, Shakira, come on."

Louis began inching forward, and Harry walked along side him. Louis gradually got faster, but he still walked stiffly. Harry noticed that he kept his arms held close to his sides, trying not to swing them much.

"I never realized _just_ how much I needed them," Louis murmured to Harry. "I missed them tons, but I also needed them."

"They're your family," Harry replied making sure he had Louis balanced. The man didn't seem to be having any trouble how ever, walking more than likely only hurt him, and therefore he had to take it slow. "And they all seem lovely. I see why you would need them."

"Yes," Louis agreed. "I used to think that they needed me? Needed me to take care of them... but I think we were all kind of taking care of each other."

"They need you, too," Harry assured. "They're so happy to have you back."

The two were making their way down the hall, and Louis suddenly began leading them off into an empty side hall, glancing around before he stepped carefully into Harry's embrace, hugging him tightly, "I hugged you yesterday, but it wasn't the same. I couldn't feel _all_ of you."

"What does all of me feel like exactly?" Harry chuckled.

"Like my Egghead."

Harry carefully hugged Louis back, and he could more easily feel the brace around the poor man's ribs. It made Louis seem so incredibly fragile, "You feel... tiny."

"Asshole."

The curly haired man chuckled, sneaking a quick kiss to Louis' forehead as Louis stepped back, "That's not what you were saying to me yesterday..."

Louis scowled then, moving his hand like he wanted to swat at Harry's arm, but then he caught himself and placed it gently on Harry's chest instead, "Maybe because you had just come to see me after getting _shot._ I need you, too, you know."

Harry smiled a bit at that, "Me?"

"Yes."

"I'm just a frog faced federal agent with an egg shaped head, though," Harry pointed out.

Louis grinned, and moved like he wanted to stand on his toes to kiss Harry. He couldn't however, and his face fell a little before Harry ducked down to his level and stole a quick kiss. Louis smiled once more, "Yeah, but you're _my_ frog faced federal agent with an egg shaped head. And you're cute."

"I'm also Mr. Elastic," Harry pursed his lips, holding his hand up to see if Louis would place his own against it.

Louis lifted his hand, but he flipped Harry off instead pressing their hands together. Harry laughed loudly, and Louis huffed, "Again - _asshole._ "

"I need you, too, though," Harry cooed, poking Louis' nose gently.

Louis poked his tongue out, "Let's just start walking again before I try and make a run for it."

The agent gently wrapped his arm behind Louis' back again, starting to walk once more, but then Harry's phone was buzzing in his pocket. Figuring it was his mother, he offered Louis an apologetic smile, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. _Zayn_. Harry frowned, quickly answering with his usual, "Styles."

"Harry... where are you?"

"Where do you think?" Harry sighed. "My mum drove me here, before you freak out."

"Any other time I would, but I've not news," Zayn murmured quickly. "Is Tomlinson with you?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "No, I actually came just to wander around the hospital. I didn't really want to see Louis."

Louis chuckled, reaching to fix some of Harry's hair in a very domestic manner that made Harry's stomach flutter a bit. In all honesty he probably _was_ a teenage girl. Zayn continued, however, "Whatever. Okay. So the news..."

"I'm listening."

"So I got the date for Louis' case..." Zayn said softly.

"That's..." Harry suddenly felt nervous. He was certain that they could get Louis out of the worst of it, but he was still terrified. "When is it?"

"In five days... counting today."

"And today's Thursday, yeah? So this coming Monday?"

"Mhmm," Zayn croaked.

Harry nodded, trying to think. He figured his face must have looked worried, because Louis' hand had come to rest on his cheek and he looked concerned. The lead agent cleared his throat, "Is that all, then?"

"Well..." Zayn sighed. "You, um... you aren't allowed to go."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked flatly.

"Payne isn't letting you attend the court hearing."

Harry instantly stiffened, dread rising into his throat as his eyes flickered to a now nervous looking Louis, and his hand tightened so harshly around the phone that he should have been concerned about it breaking.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy. Just warning ya xD)

* * *

 

Harry was seething. If it weren't for an injured Louis standing in front of him, he'd more than likely being flipping things over. Or at least in his mind he would be, because as an agent, he usually had to keep a level head.

"Payne isn't _letting_ me?" Harry snarled. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"I don't know, Harry," Zayn said softly. "Agent Murs said that yesterday when he was called into Payne's office, they were talking about you. Murs managed to avoid the most important stuff, but Payne... Payne still told Agent Murs that it'd be best if you weren't there."

"I'm coming to talk to him," Harry said firmly. "Today."

Louis huffed at that, clearly disapproving. He pointed to Harry's injured arm with a scowl. Harry simply grabbed Louis' hand and tangled their fingers together.

"Harry..." Zayn warned. "If Payne is having suspicions then-"

"Then I'm going to get rid of them," Harry grumbled. "And I'm going to Louis' court hearing, and he's not going to jail. Agent Murs hasn't even spoken with him yet! What about a lawyer for him? What about-"

Louis had gone rigid, his jaw clenching as his eyes widened. Harry could feel Louis' hand tighten in his own, but Louis remained silent as he waited for Harry to get off the phone.

"Alright, Harry..." Zayn said softly. "Just don't do anything rash."

"I won't."

Harry hung up the phone, slowly slipping it back into his pocket as his eyes fell on Louis. Louis' eyes searched Harry's face, and the hand not clutching Harry's wrapped around to press carefully over his injured ribs, "...What?"

"That was Zayn," Harry forced his voice to remain steady. "Your case is on Monday."

Louis' eyes widened, and he swallowed hard, "Right, right... my case. I'm technically arrested right now. That's why I'm not allowed to leave the floor and why guards are standing in front of the stairs and the lift. I probably wouldn't even be allowed to leave the room if it wasn't necessary for my recovery."

"Let's walk," Harry said softly, slipping his arm around Louis again. He moved his arm from Louis' upper back down to Louis' waist instead.

Louis pursed his lips as they walked, "And you were saying something else about the case? About going to my court hearing?"

"Yes," Harry bit his lip, unsure of how Louis would react to the news he was about to reveal. "Payne said I couldn't go."

"He said what?!" Louis stopped immediately even though Harry kept walking, resulting in Harry almost pulling him over.

"Shit, babe-" Harry gasped, hands seizing Louis' hips to steady him. "Are you alright, I'm so sorry!"

"What do you mean he said you couldn't go?" Louis screeched.

Harry glanced around them anxiously, gently hushing him, "Shh... I'm going, I'm going. I said I was going to go talk to Payne today and convince him to let me go. I don't know if I can do anything there but I'm going to be in that room with you."

Louis' hands were latching onto Harry's shirt as his breathing grew more rapid, "But what if he says no?! What if you can't be in there, too? Harry, I need you in there, I don't think I can- I don't like confrontation, what if... what if they..."

"Breathe," Harry reminded nervously. "Do we need to go back to your room to talk about this? Actually, yes, yes we do. It's more private and you're making me anxious breathing like that. You're going to hurt your ribs."

Harry slipped his arm around Louis' waist, guiding him slowly and carefully towards Louis' room. The nurse frowned as she spotted them, and she met them in front of Louis' door, "Done walking already?"

"Yes," Louis croaked. "I need to... I need to speak to Agent Styles privately about my case."

The nurse nodded slowly, "I'll tell the guards they can stand in front of the door once more..."

Jay and Anne still hadn't returned, but the nurse helped Harry get Louis to his bed, and Harry pointed at the nasal tubes, "Can he... should he use those?"

The nurse clipped the oxygen level monitor onto Louis' index finger, despite Louis' protesting, "I'm fine, really, please just-"

"I think he's alright," she nodded. "If the numbers on that screen turn red and stay red for a bit, put them back on, Mr. Tomlinson."

"Alright."

Louis wheezed out the moment the nurse had left the room, "They're going to throw me in jail. I'm going to jail and I'm never going to get to see you or my mum or my sisters or-"

Harry seized Louis' face in his hands, pressing a thumb gently over the boy's lips to silence him while his other thumb stroked gently at Louis' cheekbone, "No, baby, no... they aren't going to throw you in jail. We won't let them, yeah?"

"Okay," Louis whispered, holding his arms out for a hug. "Okay..."

Harry wrapped his arms gently around Louis, who still had yet to lean back against his pillows, "Robin Hood never gets caught. And if he does, he always gets away. Remember?"

"I love you and I mean it," Louis mumbled into Harry's chest.

"And I love you and I mean it."

"I'm sitting on Egghead."

And like always, Louis always managed to make Harry smile no matter the circumstance. The young agent helped Louis off of the stuffed toy, setting it next to Louis' flowers. He lightly tapped Louis' nose, "I'm going to go talk to Payne as soon as our mum's come back."

Louis frowned at that, "You can't go back to work, Harry. You're still hurt."

"I'm not working," Harry assured. "I'm just gonna talk to Agent Payne."

The older man pouted even further, "And you're leaving me here all alone..."

"Well-"

"You didn't even stay long, just a few hours, and you promised you'd stay all day-"

Harry was prepared to fall to his knees in front of the boy, "I'll be back though! And I have to go talk to Agent Payne because I need to convince him that I can be at that court hearing, I need to make it so he doesn't suspect anything-"

Louis was smirking at him then, and Harry trailed off as the man giggled, "I'm kidding..."

"You little shit..." Harry narrowed his eyes, flicking Louis' nose lightly before seemingly feeling guilty and pressing a quick kiss to it.

"You were about to start kissing my feet and pleading to be forgiven!" Louis cackled, clutching at his ribs. He seemed to be in pain, but he was laughing too hard to stop. "You're already that whipped?"

Harry crossed his arms then, wincing as his shirt sleeve brushed roughly at his stitches, and he turned to march from the hospital room, "Nope, and I'll prove it."

"Wait-" Louis' laughter stopped abruptly. "No, no! No I'm sorry!"

Harry got to the door, "Nope. You're too sassy for your own good."

Louis croaked out, "Egghead, no, don't I at least get a kiss goodbye?! Please!"

The lead agent turned around then, unable to keep up the act much longer, "It was _my_ turn to trick you. You didn't seriously think that I was going to leave my Shakira without making sure he had _company_ first, did you? And you thought I would actually leave without a goodbye kiss?! What kind of man do you take me for?"

"One with an Egghead," Louis squeaked, but then reached for Harry's hand. "No, I'm sorry! I'll try and hold back the snide remarks."

"I love your snide remarks," Harry laughed, sitting down in his usual chair next to Louis, and then he winked. "Don't hold back. Give it to me hard, Tomlinson."

Louis' eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically, "You can't say stuff like that! Do you know how long it's been since I've gotten off? A long fucking time!"

"You mean a long _not_ fucking time," Harry snickered.

"I hate you."

"Aww," Harry cooed. "Do you mean it?"

"I hate you and I mean it."

The younger boy, kissed Louis' knuckles, "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone. I'd offer to fuck you in the bathroom but I don't think your ribs are healed enough."

And then Louis was pulling a mass of sheet and jackets over his lap with a groan, "You are dreadful. Absolutely horrific, why do I like you again? This will take ages to go down."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Harry laughed.

"Sorry for what?" came Anne's voice, and Harry and Louis exchanged a quick look before turning to see Jay and Anne standing in the entrance to the room.

Harry winked at Louis, standing and smoothing the injured man's hair as he kissed his lips gently and faced Louis' mum and his own mum, "Sorry that we've got to go for a bit, mum... but we'll be back! If that's alright? I'll pay for petrol if-"

"No you will not," his mother scoffed. "Where do you need to go, love?"

"To the bureau," Harry responded, and at Anne's raised brow, he sighed. "Not to _work_. You and Louis both, Jesus. I need to go meet with Agent Payne about Louis' court hearing."

"Louis' court hearing?" Jay gasped. "You've heard about it?"

"Just recently," Harry nodded. "It's Monday."

"Monday?!" Jay blanched. "Oh goodness, I... do I have to do anything? Do you need me to-"

"Just show up and be there for him," Harry soothed. "I... I don't even know if I'll be able to go, not that I would be allowed to be a defendant of Louis, but you'll be able to sit with him."

Louis was looking from Jay to Harry, once again seeming nervous. Harry offered him a small, reassuring smile even though he himself felt like panicking. Anne smiled softly as well, "I'm sure everything will be alright. If they have any heart at all, they'll let Louis by with... what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

"We don't want jail time," Harry said immediately. "House arrest. He'll be living with Jay. And community service. But no jail time, I've already made that clear to Agent Murs and he said it's what he'd push for. Since I'm not on this case anymore, I wouldn't even be able to speak at the hearing anyway. It's all up to Agent Murs, and I'm going to discuss it with him."

"But I still want you there," Louis spoke up. "I... I really want that. Just like if you would have had to take me in, I would have wanted it to be you."

Harry bit his lip, "I'm just glad I didn't have to take you in. Well, I'm not really fond of the reason why I didn't have to but-"

"Harry," Anne chuckled, gently grabbing Harry's good arm. "Let's go so you can talk to your boss and get back here to Louis. Jay and I were having quite the conversation as well."

"Louis and I can go for another walk or something," Jay nodded slowly. "Keep our mind off of things while we wait."

"We might want to wait a bit before that walk though," Louis nonchalantly fixed the jackets and sheets on his lap that Harry knew covered his hard on. "I feel... winded."

Harry tried not to burst into nervous laughter, so instead he nodded, "We'll be back..."

"I love you," Louis called to him.

"Love you, too, babe," Harry smiled.

Their mothers exchanged exasperated looks before Anne ushered Harry out the door. The moment the lift doors closed, his mother was chuckling, "They're both very lovely, Harry. Good choice of a man."

"Er... thank you?" Harry mumbled in confusion.

She nodded, continuing, "No, they're really are good people! Jay is hilarious, and she seems like a very good mother. She was telling me how sweet you were to Louis and how much she appreciated you. Apparently you have quite the effect on Louis and she's glad that it's a positive one."

"Did you tell her how much I appreciate Louis?" Harry asked. "Because I really like that man."

Anne laughed, "I think she knows, I didn't have to tell her."

They got off the lift on the ground floor, walking to Anne's vehicle. Harry had to hold his seatbelt once more so it wasn't rubbing against his arm, and his mother asked him to give him the entire story of how he and Louis had came to be. So Harry told her, minus the sex aspect of it. He simply told her that they had developed feelings for each other, after the first few days, and they hadn't been sure of what to do with those feelings until after Louis had gotten shot. After Harry had realized that he really, _really_ needed Louis to be his.

Once at the bureau, his mother stayed in the car while he climbed from it, "It shouldn't take me long... hopefully. It depends on how things go I guess."

"Just be careful," she warned. "Don't get Louis and yourself in trouble."

Harry nodded, shutting the door with his good arm and hurrying into the building. The secretaries greeted him with a look of surprise and a smile. He rushed right to Agent Payne's office, hoping that he wasn't out or with someone already. Much to his relief, the door was open and Agent Payne was typing something on his laptop. Harry rapped his knuckles on the door, and the man murmured, "Come in."

Harry stepped into the room before Agent Payne looked up, "Hello, Agent Payne, sir."

Agent Payne looked up in surprise, "Agent Styles, what- are you aware that you aren't supposed to be working?"

"I'm not," Harry insisted, showing Agent Payne his arm. "It's rather horrid looking right now, but... I've got medicine for that, anyway. I'm here to talk to you."

"Very well," Payne sighed, motioning for him to sit.

Harry carefully shut the door behind him before he moved to sit in the chair in front of Agent Payne's desk, "I'm not trying to get any cases back anymore, I understand that I've been removed from them-"

"And all for good reason," Agent Payne nodded. "It's nothing against you, Harry."

Harry blinked in surprise at the use of his first name, "Yes... but for my safety, rather? Too much involvement, I know."

"I'm glad we're on the same page."

"But also," Harry looked at his hands before he made eye contact with his boss. He needed to come across as honest and straight-forward as possible. "I'm confused as to why I can't attend the Tomlinson court hearing."

"The same reason that I took you off the case," Agent Payne leaned back in his chair, capping and uncapping a pen with his thumb. "Too much involvement. We wouldn't want the magistrates court getting any ideas."

"He'll be in the magistrates court?" Harry arched a brow.

Agent Payne seemed to debate whether or not he should share, but then he nodded, "Unless they move him to crown, which I doubt happens. He could be charged for grand theft... but he's not a murderer."

Harry leaned forward, "So other than the fact that Tomlinson saved my life... twice..."

He'd nearly spoke of the third time, but that would require telling Payne of the time when Louis was handcuffed to his couch. Agent Payne nodded, "Which is fairly high involvement on his behalf, not to mention that he spoke directly towards you in all those videos he left."

"Yes..." Harry said slowly. "Other than those reasons... why else am I unable to attend?'

"Why would you want to attend if you're going to be given the outcome from Murs anyway?" Agent Payne's mouth twitched up into a smirk. Harry's boss knew much more than Harry thought.

"I..." Harry blanched.

Agent Payne nodded, "I know things, Harry Styles. Probably more than you think. But I know there's things that I don't know. You'll be pleased to know that I frankly don't care at this point, because I've been told by Agent Murs all about this... Robin Hood feat. However, no one else can get these suspicions that I have."

"Suspicions," Harry laughed weakly, trying to play it off as nothing. After all, he was _supposed_ to convince Payne that he _wasn't_ secretly dating Louis Tomlinson. "You've watched too many crime shows."

Agent Payne chuckled, "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Let's get a beer sometime," Harry suggested, eager to get the topic away from Louis.

Agent Payne simply scoffed, "Time is something I usually don't have."

"You're supposed to have a decent relationship with your boss, aren't you?" Harry pointed out.

"We're straying off topic here," the man grinned, leaning forward. "Basically, I'm not allowing you to go to the trial so that no one expects anything. If you go down, you're taking us all down with you. If you want to be there for friendship or whatever the hell this... strange obsession with the Tomlinson case is, then you'll have to attempt the friendship once Louis Tomlinson is a free man."

Harry thought hard for a moment. He'd always considered Agent Payne as a bit of a dick, very up-tight. Then again, when it came to his own occupation Harry was the exact same way. He was friendly, but he was a no-nonsense on the job kind of guy. Or, he at least tried to be. And Agent Payne, exactly like him and if not more so, simply cared for the well being of his agents. It wasn't anything against Harry. It was more of something _for_ Harry. He suddenly didn't feel much like flipping over Agent Payne's desk like he had wanted to when Zayn had first called him.

"Alright," Harry nodded. "Okay. You're right, sir."

"Okay," Agent Payne nodded. "Glad we could clear that up. Now get out of here and don't come back for another week. You're the one always putting holes in my Kevlar vests. I should make a vest out of _you,_ Mr. Titanium."

Harry smiled rising to his feet, "Yes, sir. I'll... see you in a week."

"And Harry?" Agent Payne called as Harry was opening the door. "If we ever go out for that beer, don't call me sir. Call me Liam."

"Right," Harry chuckled. "I can do that. We might have other companions, they're rather... attached to me."

"Agent Horan and Agent Malik?" Liam grinned. "Yes. Agent Horan was in here earlier trying to fight the battle that you just fought."

"He's something," Harry groaned. "Alright... see you in a week."

"Goodbye, Harry."

Harry hurried from the room, feeling slightly jittery that Agent Payne knew as much as he knew. He rode up the lift to his floor to say a quick hello to everyone, and was nearly bowled over by an excited Niall shoving files in his face, "I did all of these _today_ and I talked to Agent Payne and-"

"I know you talked to him," Harry huffed. "I talked to him, too. About the same thing."

"Oh..." Niall winced. "Yeah."

"But nice work on the filing," Harry sighed.

Niall seemed to light up at that, and Zayn came from his cubicle to join them, "No offense, Harry, but you aren't staying long, correct? Your arm just... wait, how did you-"

"My mum drove me," Harry sighed. "Honestly Malik, you are _worse_ than my mother."

Harry stayed and chatted a bit longer, but he had an injured Louis waiting for his arrival, and he decided he would very much like to go back to him. So, he took the lift back down and exited the building. His mother seemed to be reading something on her phone, but she looked up at him the moment he was climbing into the car.

"How'd it go?"

"Well," Harry sighed. "I'm not allowed to attend? But he had a good reason!"

Anne scowled, but she began driving back towards the hospital as Harry explained all about how Payne had grown suspicious. He told her of how he knew that Harry had been getting information from Agent Murs anyway, and how Agent Murs were at a sort of understanding on the kind of person Louis was.

"So he trusts Louis?" she asks.

"I think he just... doesn't care?" Harry explained. "He doesn't trust him, but he knows Louis isn't a hazard."

Anne nodded slowly, "And you're not in trouble?"

"No one is in trouble," Harry agreed. "Well, Louis is kind of still, but Agent Murs can get him out of it. He _has_ to be able to. Louis is in the magistrates court... not crown? So he isn't being charged for murder like Nick Grimshaw. And if all of the money didn't even go towards him..."

"Will the foster home have to give it all back?" Anne asked.

"Doubtful," Harry murmured. "They had no idea. I'm sure they'll find out soon? But the trial will be over by then and they won't even be bothered about it I don't think. Louis will be the only one who has to do something about it... like work it off through community service."

Harry had his mother stop so he could buy shakes, and then they went to the hospital once more. Louis' problem that Harry had left him with had seemed better, as Louis was no longer covering his lap. He had the Egghead stuffed toy sitting on his bed as he read from _Robin Hood_ , and Jay was seated next to him watching something on the few channels the hospital offered.

The moment Anne greeted everyone, Louis' head rocketed up, "What'd he say?!"

Harry offered Louis his shake while Anne gave Jay hers, and Jay thanked her as Anne chuckled, "These were on Harry."

"Thank you, Harry," Jay smiled. "Now... your boss?"

Louis nodded, "What'd he say?"

"Your hearing is in the magistrates court," Harry told him slowly, absentmindedly fixing Louis' gown that he wore until Louis gently seized his hands. "Monday... I don't know the time."

"Attendants?" Louis pressed.

"I..." Harry sighed. "I'm not one of them."

Louis gave a distressed sound that could have classified as a wail, "Oh no, this is so bad! What if I do end up going to jail, I won't even get to look at you one last time before it happens and I-"

"They didn't say I couldn't wait outside for you," Harry gasped. "And you aren't going to jail, Louis!"

Louis covered his face with his hands as Jay looked up nervously to Harry, "Then... who is going to ensure Louis gets the house arrest and what not?"

"Agent Murs," Harry told her distractedly as he stroked at Louis' arms and hair, trying to coax him to remove his face from his hands. "He'll more than likely come talk to you Saturday or Sunday. Louis, darling, look at me... Shakira, baby."

Louis peeked at Harry from between his fingers, "I'm scared..."

Harry pulled his usual chair closer to Louis' bed, sitting himself down in it and seizing Louis' hand, "I am, too. But no matter what happens... I'll be outside waiting for you. Whether I'm outside a prison or whether I'm outside a courthouse, I'm going to wait for you because you're my Robin Hood, my Shakira, my Louis. You're the only person who makes me laugh when you insult me, whereas other people would get attacked with every combat skill I possess. Because I love you, Louis... and I mean it. All of that."

Louis' bottom lip trembled a bit, "I love you, too... and I mean it."

Louis' finger's latched onto Harry's shirt to pull him closer, and Harry murmured, "Don't hurt your ribs."

Harry noticed their mother's inching away as their hug didn't end, and he simply nuzzled his face into Louis' hair. Louis was still trembling a bit, and it made Harry's heart ache for him. He didn't think he'd ever seen Louis so afraid, not even when Louis had first broken into his house and had Harry's cold metal aimed right at his forehead. Louis wasn't even afraid to go to jail for the reasons of possible harm coming to _himself_ , he was just upset that he wouldn't get to see his family and Harry much. Louis was undoubtedly the must selfless twenty-four year old Harry had ever met, and he loved the man so much that it physically pained him. So he hugged Louis as tight as he dared without hurting his ribs, and they stayed in their embrace long enough for their shakes to almost melt entirely.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)

* * *

 

Harry was seated next to Louis' bed, gazing at the man. Louis wasn't saying much, and was staring at the wall. It was almost strange how quiet it was, and Harry wasn't entirely sure where his mother and Jay had gone. He opened up his mouth to try and initiate conversation. Conversation usually flowed just as well as Louis' sassy comebacks did. However, Harry couldn't seem to find what he wanted to say, so he closed his mouth once more.

Louis' head snapped up then, looking to the door. Harry turned to see if Louis had heard something he hadn't, and his heart instantly dropped. Nick Grimshaw was standing in the door, a smirk on his long face. Harry leaped to his feet, prepared to launch himself at Nick Grimshaw, to yell at the guards outside the door to fucking _do_ something because he wasn't armed and Nick was supposed to be in jail. The dark-haired man pulled out a gun and aimed.

"Harry!" Louis protested as Harry stumbled into the line of fire, all training gone with clumsiness left in its place.

Nick didn't say anything, only grinned, moved his finger from the trigger guard to the trigger, and he fired, the sound surprisingly not as deafening as it should have been in the enclosed room. Harry wasn't wearing a vest. And he waited for the hit, but the hit never came. Nick slipped back out the door and Harry patted at himself frantically before whirling around to soothe Louis. He _knew_ Louis would have to be freaking out, and horror and nausea hit him full on.

Blood was dripping from the center of Louis' forehead, could be seen gruesomely coating the wall, pillows, and bed behind Louis. And Louis' blue eyes, the eyes Harry was coming to love so much, were lifelessly staring back at Harry.

"Oh no," Harry mumbled numbly, stumbling forward to seize Louis' face in his hands gently. "No..."

Louis didn't smile back. Couldn't smile back.

"No!" Harry repeated, sinking onto the bed next to Louis and frantically checking for a pulse. Nothing. He stroked Louis' cheeks, smearing a bit of blood across them. Louis even had blood in his lovely brown hair. A lot of it, so much that Harry had to lean away to vomit into the waste bin next to Louis bed. When he sat back up, Louis was still laying there dripping blood down his forehead, and then Harry was wailing. "No, no, no, _no-"_

Harry forgot all about Louis' ribs and slipped onto the bed with Louis, pulling him to his chest. Louis' head slumped onto Harry's shoulder, and he could feel the sticky warmth soaking through his shirt as he gurgled out, "No, baby, please, no- _Louis_!"

Blindly he swung out for the nurse's call button, missing. He looked up from Louis' blank eyes, suddenly finding that he was too blinded with tears to see much of anything. However, the call button was gone, " _Fuck_ -"

Harry sobbed out the curse, smacking the wall with the hand that wasn't clutching onto Louis, but then Louis vanished from his arms. Simply dissolved like he hadn't even been there at all. But the blood, all the blood was there, and Harry could still feel the warmth that had literally been leaving Louis' body as the seconds had ticked by. Harry screamed out in anguish.

 _"Harry!_ "

The young agent rocketed up in bed, sweaty and with his bad arm throbbing. His mother was clutching onto his good arm anxiously, giving him a concerned look. And it hit Harry with such an extreme wave of relief that it had all been a _dream_ , "Fucking _shit._ I can't take that pain medication anymore. I won't. That..."

"You were thrashing and screaming love, what on earth..." his mother shook her head. "I thought you were being killed there for a-"

Harry flinched a bit at her wording, shaking his head, "What time is it? Can we go see Louis?"

"It's 4am..."

"Well," Harry huffed. "I'll shower then."

His mother blanched, "Shouldn't you get back to sleep? The hospital isn't open until 6am, so-"

"I don't think I'll be sleeping again tonight," Harry shook his head quickly. "Er... this morning. Feeling a bit shaky, now."

"Bad dream then?"

Harry scratched at the place where Louis' head had rested in his dream, his eyes fluttering shut, "Yeah. Bad is probably an understatement though, so I'm just gonna... yeah, I'm going to go shower."

Anne pursed her lips worriedly, but she nodded, "Alright. Do you want me to stay up with you?"

He gave her a reassuring grin, "I'm fine, now. Promise. I just don't want to dream again tonight, so I'll probably just read a bit. Some Sherlock Holmes maybe."

"Alright, dear..." she said slowly, and she walked towards his door, giving him one last look-over until he smiled once more, and then she wandered back down the hall to where she was sleeping on the couch.

Harry had offered up his bed, minus the comforter since Harry still clung to it even though it no longer smelled like Louis. She declined, however, saying that he was the injured one and didn't need to accidentally hurt his arm. He had seemed to upset his arm anyway thrashing around in bed, but he ignored it as he wandered down the dark hall and into the bathroom.

He perched himself on the sink for a bit and let the shower run until the room started to get steamy, and then he made sure the wrap on his stitches was secure as he stripped and climbed beneath the spray. The warm water woke him up a bit, cleared his mind and reminded him that Nick Grimshaw was _very_ much in jail and that his Robin Hood was fine.

The night before, Harry had calmed Louis down by promising him that no matter what happened he would still be waiting for the older man whether he got off with house arrest like they wanted or if he ended up having to go to prison for a few years. After that, Harry had read to him upon his request and then requested that _Louis_ read to _him_ for a bit. And so Louis did until Harry noticed that Louis seemed to be out of breath and took back up the reading spot. He'd stayed until Louis had eaten dinner, and then he'd kissed Louis goodbye and promised to be back bright and early the next morning. If Harry was able, he knew without a doubt he'd go to the hospital right that instant.

Instead, he finished showering, wrapped a towel around his waist as he brushed his teeth and cleaned his arm, and then he wandered back to his room to change his clothes and pick up the book on his dresser.

His mother finally woke up around 6am, and as he heard the bathroom shut, he stumbled to his feet so he could idly smooth his hair into a less horrifying state, and then he slipped on some socks, grabbed his I.D and wallet off the dresser, and headed into the living room to grab his coat. When Anne sleepily walked back out of the room, she blinked at him in surprise.

"Harry..." she said slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Take your time," he assured. "Just eager to see Louis, is all."

Anne gave him one of the looks he'd gotten for most of his childhood. The look that insinuated that he wasn't in any way being normal, but she was too kind to crush his spirit.

He waited patiently while his mother changed out of her pajamas and fixed her make-up and hair. She also grabbed his daytime pain medicine from the cabinet to give him, and he accepted it with a sigh and took it with some of his mother's tea as they walked to her car. Much to his dismay, she stopped on the way to the hospital for breakfast, but luckily she ordered for take-away, and Harry had her buy Louis and Jay something once more, slipping her a bit more money.

She rolled her eyes and handed it back to him, "I _should_ make you pay for this for making me wake up at 6am, but considering you've been up since 4am and didn't get to bed until about 11pm, I'm going to take it easy on you. Plus your my baby boy and you have a boo-boo."

Harry gave his mother a look of disbelief, "A boo-boo? There was a _bullet_ in my arm..."

She smirked, "But I got you to admit that it was much more serious that you make it out to be."

The young agent sighed, taking the food bag his mother handed across to him as she pulled away from the drive-thru. The rest of the drive, his mother chatted to him about how she loved him dearly, but didn't at all miss having to wake up early to make sure he got ready for school.

"Well you didn't _have_ to come with me," Harry shrugged. "I just figured you wouldn't want me to drive myself. I could have drove myself."

"Your arm's injured and I wasn't sure if you'd made it even sorer thrashing around like you did earlier this morning. Did you want to talk about that, by the way?"

Harry's nose scrunched, and he shook his head slowly, "Not really. It was just a dream and there's no way it would ever happen, so there's not really a need to talk about it."

"Did it involve your work?" she asked curiously.

"Kind of..."

She sighed, "I'll stop pushing at you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Harry could tell that his mother really did want to know, it was what she would always say if she wanted to press Harry into telling her something. Usually she did it if she was worried for him, playing the 'I trust you' guard and thereby guilting Harry into spilling. So he sighed, looking to her in exasperation, "Nick Grimshaw escaped from jail, basically. And he... hurt Louis."

"Were you fighting with him?" his mother arched a brow at him before glancing back at the road as she pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"No," Harry shook his head. "No, he ran off."

"You were yelling because Louis was hurt?" she seemed confused. "Like... bruised, scratched-"

"Shot," Harry croaked, his hand clenching a bit tighter around the bag of food. "In... in the forehead. Can we stop talking about this?"

"Oh," she breathed out. "Oh God, yeah... that's. That's vivid. He's alright, though, babe. You'll see him in five minutes or less."

"Yeah," Harry nodded in relief.

And Harry did see Louis in less than five minutes, because he was all but sprinting into the hospital with his mother following close behind. They took the lift to Louis' floor, and Harry murmured a greeting to the guards as he slipped in through the closed doors. The lights were still dim in Louis' room, and it appeared that Jay hadn't arrived yet.

Louis was up, however, more than likely woken up by one of the nurses, and had damp hair as if he had showered. Egghead was sitting on the bed on top of the jackets of Harry's, and Louis was reading quietly from _Robin Hood_.

Harry hurried right forward and set the bag down carefully on Louis' side table as Louis looked up in surprise, "Oh! Egghead, you're ear-oomph."

The younger man cut Louis off with a long kiss, gently cupping Louis' face. As he pulled back and Louis blinked at him in surprise, his blue eyes fond and not at all lifeless, Harry brushed his damp hair off of his forehead, "Good morning, handsome."

"Good morning..." Louis said slowly. "As I was saying before your lips _mauled_ me... you're early. Good morning, Anne!"

"Morning, Louis," she chuckled. "We brought you more food."

"This is why I love you people," Louis grinned. "I get flowers, Eggheads... both stuffed and in federal agent form... and excellent food to save me from this hospital shit."

Harry chuckled, pulling Louis' breakfast sandwich from the bag and handing it to him, "We didn't get any drinks... but I can go get you some juice or something if you'd like?"

"I'm fine," Louis waved a hand. "You can... kiss me again if you want? Maybe a tad less forceful. Give me time to understand what's happening so I don't slobber all over you like I almost did. Honestly Harold, I was mid sent-"

Harry purposely ducked to kiss Louis again, earning a glare from the smaller man. Harry simply grinned, "I missed you."

"Wow, clingy..." Louis teased, holding up a hand. "You literally saw me less than twelve hours ago."

"Yeah, well I like you," Harry shrugged, dragging a chair up to sit in front of Louis so he could eat. "A lot."

Louis smiled at that, unwrapping his sandwich, "I like you, too. How's your arm this morning?"

"It's a bit sore to be honest, but I'm fine," Harry replied. "And your ribs?"

"Ache-y like always," Louis nodded. "We're pretty beat up, my love."

Harry nodded, reaching out to boop Louis' nose, "But we're alright. That's what's so good about all this. We're okay."

Louis gave Harry a strange look, "Yeah... did you take too many painkillers?"

The younger man laughed aloud, shaking his head as held the food bag out to his mother so she could sit and eat as well, "No... I'm high off of my love for you."

"That is ridiculously cheesy," Louis declared. "And kind of fucked up in a way. Anne, what did you give my Egghead?"

"He's got about five hours of sleep tops, he was up at 4am," Anne laughed. "He's a bit slap-happy, I think."

"4am?" Louis blanched before giving Harry a disapproving look. "Why the hell were you up at 4am?"

Harry shrugged, "I woke up and didn't want to sleep anymore. I was worried about you."

Louis sighed, "Oh frog face... why were you worried about _me_ if you'd just seen me about six hours prior?"

"My painkillers make me really emotional," Harry lied, and then he jokingly snarled. "Why do _you_ care _?"_

Louis picked off a bit of egg and tossed it at Harry, "Here Egghead, have some of your relative."

"No fair," Harry frowned. "I can't exactly throw Shakira at you..."

Anne spoke up from where she was seated by the window, "Which is probably a good thing."

Harry stood so he could kiss Louis once more, smiling at him, "You're a little shit, did you know that?"

"So I've been told," Louis grinned.

They watched a bit of some strange show on the television before Jay arrived around 8am, hurrying into the room. They offered her the sandwich they had gotten her, and Anne walked with her to the hospital cafeteria so she could heat it up and get herself a coffee as well. As they left, Harry hummed, flipping off the television, "Hospital channels suck."

"Can we... talk about how I'm supposed to talk to Agent Murs?" Louis asked slowly. "I'm a bit worried. I... I don't like-"

"Confrontation," Harry nodded. "He isn't here to harass you. He's going to bring you your lawyer more than likely to get your side of the story, and if this guy sucks I'll... I'll pay to get you another one, even if it means paying more to get one at the last minute, alright? I'll even stay here in the room with you, if you'd like. They can't stop me from doing that if I'm not on the job."

"Yes... yes I would like that," Louis nodded slowly.

"Then that's what I'll do," Harry promised. "Agent Murs is nice, as well, so you don't have to worry about him being rude or unnecessary."

"Good," Louis nodded. "Thank you for making me feel better... like always. Did combat training include cheering people up?"

"No," Harry chuckled. "I think that's mum training. Or... proper parenting or something like that, I'm not even sure if I was raised correctly. You'll have to ask my mother. I think she still thinks she's raising me."

"I'm older than you and my mother is still raising me," Louis pointed out.

Harry smirked, "We should probably stop talking about them... or they'll hear us. I swear, mothers hear what they want to hear and tune out what they don't."

"Mums," Louis sighed in exasperation.

"They'll be back any second, we should change the topic," Harry insisted.

Louis nodded, seemingly weighing the option, "Or... we could make out instead?"

"I like your thinking," Harry nodded, standing so he could press their mouths together. Louis hummed, the arm on his good side coming to tangle into Harry's hair. Harry gently sucked Louis' lower lip into his mouth, and then Louis was giggling against his lips. Harry pulled back in surprise, looking at himself to try and figure out what Louis was laughing at. "What'd I do?"

"Your shirt is inside out."

"What?!" Harry pulled at his shirt, trying to find the seam line to see if his shirt really was inside out.

"No, check the tag," Louis cackled. "I felt it. It's on the outside of your shirt. You're twenty-two and you can't even dress yourself properly!"

"I got like five hours of sleep and I'm on medication," Harry huffed. "So my shirt is inside out, you're in a dress!"

"I am in a _hospital_ gown, thank you very much," Louis giggled. "You wish I was in a dress."

Harry nodded, "I'm not even going to deny that, I think that would be hot. Especially with an ass like yours."

"You also wish your ass was good enough to pull off a dress," Louis continued.

Harry teasingly seized Louis' chin gently in his grip, pressing their noses together and whispering, "Now you're pushing it, Tomlinson..."

"Mr. Tomlinson, are you ready to take a walk?"

Harry scrambled backwards so fast he nearly tripped over his chair, barely managing to back away from Louis before the nurse fully entered the room. She blinked at them both, and Louis simply nodded and grinned, "I would love to. I think I'm finally coming to like this gown, I'm ready to flaunt it."

The young agent kind of hated the older man a lot. But he decided, as he helped Louis to his feet and walked the boy down the hall while he giggled hysterically because Harry's shirt had yet to be switched around that he also really loved him _much_ more than he could ever hate him.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)

* * *

Harry stayed all day with Louis since he'd left him for a few hours the day before. He helped the older man stand in the bathroom so he could shave, read to him, and constantly stole little kisses when their mothers and the nurses weren't looking. He left the hospital _after_ Louis had fallen asleep, and made sure not to take his pain medicine before he went to bed. His dream was much too fresh in his mind to experience another one. Because he knew that if he _did_ have another, he was never leaving Louis' side again.

He had a dreamless sleep, however, and still woke up bright and early to drag his mum back to the hospital. The lad felt anxious, too anxious to eat fruit his mother offered him. Agent Murs would be coming to the hospital to talk to Louis, Harry was sure of it. He sat in the passenger seat as his mother drove him to the hospital, bouncing his leg and nervously running his fingers over his stitches.

"Harry, cut that out," his mother frowned disapprovingly. "You're going to loosen them."

"Agent Murs is coming to talk to Louis today."

Anne nodded, "Yes dear, I know."

"About Louis' case," Harry murmured. "And what if Agent Payne is making him ask certain questions? I mean, Olly did have to go talk to him so like-"

"I think you're just worrying yourself," Anne insisted. "Everything is going to go just fine. Louis is probably just as nervous as you are, he was nervous the instant you told him Agent Murs had to talk to him."

"He just doesn't want to like... argue. He's afraid he'll have to fight to defend himself," Harry explained. "And I know that if he _did_ have to he probably wouldn't."

"He seems fairly good at fighting to defend himself when it comes to you," Anne chuckled. "Literally every insult competition you two get in he's shooting out comments left and right."

Harry smiled at that, "Yeah... for someone who hates conflict he seems to enjoy bickering with me."

"But I suppose that's not serious bickering," Anne pursed her lips. "And everything that could be offensive he always backs up with a fond look, or a touch, or a kiss... you all really are the sweetest things to watch. I'm so glad that my baby boy is happy."

Harry blushed at that, "Mother, I'm twenty-two..."

"Still my baby," she declared.

They arrived at the hospital at about 8am, heading straight to Louis' room. The man was seated on the side of his bed, shirtless but in sweats, no longer a gown. A doctor stood in front of Louis, and Louis occasionally winced, his eyes shut. Jay was watching anxiously, and Harry slipped into the room with Anne close behind him. He didn't want to say anything, nervous that he would frighten Louis into jumping.

Louis opened one eye, however, and his once slightly pained expression twisted into a tight grin, "Eg- Agent Styles."

The doctor turned his head and offered Harry and his mother a grin, "Hello. We're removing Mr. Tomlinson's sutures."

"Hurts," Louis nodded, his face twisting into a grimace as the doctor went back to work once more.

Harry stepped anxiously closer, concerned for his boyfriend, and was allowed a better view of Louis' side. Louis' ribs looked somewhat similar to Harry's arm, yet the skin under and surrounding his stitches was the color of a healing bruise, and Louis of course had received surgery, leaving a raised line above and below where he'd been shot.

"Yes, the removal can feel give off a tugging sensation. I'm not actually tugging at your skin, however, that's simply the suture sliding free," the doctor explained.

"No, like..." Louis swallowed hard. "I'm all tense and without my brace on it hurts."

Anne hurried over to sit next to Jay, who looked just about as worried as Harry figured he looked. He wanted to comfort Louis, but he didn't want to get in the way. Luckily, the doctor had removed all of Louis' stitches in no time and was wrapping Louis' ribs carefully before he helped Louis slip his brace back on. Almost instantly, Louis sat back onto his bed and tried to wiggle up to lean against his pillows, breathing a bit heavy.

"Are you-" Harry started, suddenly terrified that Louis' lung was collapsing again.

"Yes," Louis nodded, but something about him seemed off. He wasn't even attempting to joke with Harry. "The pain is already going away."

The doctor nodded his head, "You're almost completely healed. We'll just keep you a day or two more to ensure that you can get around decently."

"That's good," Louis murmured, his nose scrunching. "If you remember correctly, doctor, I'm a thief. I've got a court hearing on Monday. Do you think I can... make that?"

"Oh," the doctor blinked. "Right. I suppose I'm stereotyping, which isn't a good thing to do at all, it's just... you don't seem like a thief. But I'm sure you'll be released before or on that day."

"Right," Louis sighed, nonchalantly motioning to Harry. "But since I am a thief, that's probably why this gentleman is here to speak to me."

"I'll leave you two to discuss matters in private," the doctor assured. "I should be getting to my other patients. I'll be back to check on you several times these next few days Mr. Tomlinson."

"Thank you, Dr. Wirsdin," Louis replied.

The man left, and then Harry was at Louis' side in an instant like he had wanted to be prior, "Shakira-"

Louis grabbed Harry's shirt, tugging him down. Harry was so startled he nearly tripped over his own shoe and toppled forwards. He managed to catch himself with the front base of Louis' bed, but Louis was already seizing Harry's face and pressing their lips together. When he released a startled Harry, he gave a forced smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Egghead."

"You idiot, I could have fallen on you and hurt you," Harry huffed, but Louis' face fell a bit and Harry was reeling back instantly. Usually Louis could take a joke. "What- I- I'm sorry, babe, I didn't-"

"No, it's alright," Louis said quietly.

Harry wasn't convinced, and he could feel his heart beating faster. Louis wasn't acting like himself at all, "No, baby, I really shouldn't call you an idiot so much because I honestly think you're incredibly intelligent and I'm so sorry-"

"Egghead," Louis gently grabbed Harry's hand. "I'm not upset with you, I _am_ an idiot. I promise you, you didn't offend me. I'm really glad you're here, though, I'm... I'm scared?"

Harry breathed out a large breath of relief, reaching and touching his arm, "Thank God... my heart was racing so fast I could feel my pulse in my arm wound. Wait, but why are you scared?"

"Agent Murs is coming to ask me all those questions," Louis mumbled. "And it's Saturday. Do you know what happens in less than two days?"

"The day you get house arrest," Harry murmured. Yes, he'd been earlier freaking out in the car, but now Louis was freaking out, and a scared Louis was the very last thing Harry wanted.

Louis' looked down at his hands, "What if I go into the court hearing... and then I don't get to see you again until like twenty years later?"

Harry stiffened, "That... that won't happen. I'll come visit you."

"Harry," Louis whispered. "You can't be in a relationship with someone in prison. You're Harry fucking _Styles_. You deserve someone who can be there for you and someone who can cuddle with you and-"

"Well maybe, but I already have that person..." Harry brought Louis' hand up to press his lips to the older man's knuckles.

Louis blushed, "Oh, Egghead..."

"Are you trying to leave me?" Harry teased, trying to cheer Louis up a bit.

Louis frowned, "Of course not!"

"Good," Harry smiled, leaning and pecking Louis' lips. "Then we've got nothing to worry about. You'll probably change your mind about leaving after we've been together for months on end, though."

"I've almost known you personally for a month now," Louis rolled his eyes. "Still not tired of you."

"Good."

"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you," Louis told the agent, his tone suddenly taking on a song like quality.

Harry blinked in surprise, "I'm glad... are you-?"

"There's nothing a hundred men or more could ever do..." Louis continued.

"That's really good-"

And then Louis was full out singing at the top of his lungs, making Harry startle backwards, "I bless the rains down in _Aaaaaafrica!"_

"Louis, what the _fuck_ ," Harry laughed. "I thought you were starting to sing, but I couldn't be sure."

Louis sighed, and Harry felt immense relief that Louis was clearly cheered up, "Oh come _on,_ Egghead! Africa by Toto? It's a classic. I'm afraid to know what your taste in music is. You like hipster bands, don't you?"

"Louis," Jay said slowly. "You're going to get us all kicked out of the hospital, love. Even yourself. Try not to sing so loudly. But Harry, I'm not sure how you cheered him up so fast."

"Cheered me up," Louis scoffed. "I'm cheering him up! I know he loves it when I serenade him. The louder, the better, am I right Egghead?"

"You've got it, Shakira," Harry smiled, reaching back for Louis' hand that he had dropped when Louis' sudden ballad had scared the shit out of him.

"Anyway..." Louis squeezed Harry's hand. "Let's not be scared, let's be happy instead. Your arm doesn't look so atrocious anymore. I can actually stand to look at it without wanting to cry."

"Your singing voice has made a full recovery," Harry shot back. "It's ready to sing in my shower once more."

"My shower at first," Jay corrected.

"Mother!" Louis huffed. "Stop eavesdropping!"

Jay laughed, standing and stretching, "Very well. Now that Harry is here I don't feel bad walking to get some breakfast. Care to join me Anne?"

"Sure!" Anne agreed. "I ate some fruit earlier, but I'll tag along and keep you company."

The mothers waved to the two men, and then they were exiting the hospital room. Louis scowled after his mum, squeezing Harry's hand, "I'm sorry she's so mean to you. I told her not to be, I told her that she just needs to get over it because-"

"It's fine, babe," Harry soothed. "She's talked to me about it as well. She just doesn't want me taking you away from her."

"I'm twenty-four."

Harry's nose scrunched, and he bit back a laugh, "Yeah..."

"You are _my_ Egghead, and if anyone else is mean to you then they're going to have to deal with me I'm afraid," Louis shrugged.

"Oh no!" Harry gasped. "Not the tiny ass Robin Hood!"

"You're the one with the tiny ass," Louis replied, and Harry stood and leaned over the man so that they were nose to nose.

"You sure do talk about it a lot, so it must have _something_ of interest."

Louis used Harry's close proximity to his advantage, tilting his head with a hum and kissing Harry softly, "It's _very_ interesting. I thought about it the other day when the nurse allowed me to shower on my own. Hurt my ribs a little thinking about it, but it was so worth it."

"How did you hurt your ribs thinking about my- oh."

Harry moved away from Louis, slightly stunned and a little turned on. Louis simply flashed him a look of triumph and smugly nodded, "Yeah. Orgasms are really a workout on the abdomen muscles. Guess they kind of apply to ribs, too."

"No, I understand you on that, but like... you had a _wank_ in a hospital shower," Harry could feel laughter bubbling up in him, and then he was cackling. "You poor, poor, privacy deprived man."

"That's not the only thing I'm deprived of. It'd been like... almost two weeks!" Louis groaned. "All I just want in life is to be in your bed with your cock up my-"

"Oh..."

Harry and Louis both jumped in surprise, their heads whipping to the door. Agent Murs was standing wide eyed and pale faced, and Louis spluttered a bit before Harry's nose scrunched, and he looked to the tile floor, "Ah... hello, Olly."

"Harry..." Agent Murs said slowly. "Am I... interrupting something? Should I ask questions later?"

"Shit," Louis wheezed a bit. "I, uh... no. No, you can ask me now. I'm not doing anything of importance until lunch time. That's when I hobble to the bathroom to pour my soup down the drain."

"I suppose I could have given you a warning..." Olly said apologetically. "I did tell Agent Malik, though."

"My phone is on silent anyway," Harry murmured, still feeling extremely embarrassed as he dug his phone from his pocket. "Yeah, Zayn called me. I'll just call him back later, you can start asking questions. We won't... scar you any further. And like, Agent Payne-"

"Doesn't have to know that aspect of things," Olly held up his hands soothingly. "I'll leave that part out of the interview. I've actually got a tape recorder here with me, Louis? If that's alright... you can answer my questions or you can choose to remain silent. However, things would probably be better for you if you talked now since, like... you aren't actually too terribly at fault from what I've heard."

"That's fine," Louis nodded. "Probably easier than writing it all out really fast. You can get everything this way."

"I probably would have asked you all these questions a few days back when Agent Styles... or Harry, was injured. But I accidentally panicked you a little and I was for certain that your mother was about to commit a felony," Olly explained.

"That's alright," Louis said softly. "Now is fine..."

Harry pursed his lips, "I'll shut the door and... sit by the window? Is it alright if I'm in here, Olly?"

Olly pursed his lips, "Just be quiet so no one can tell you're here if they happen to listen. I'll be writing all this down later, but still."

"Can't you sit here by me, though?" Louis reached frantically for Harry as the man got up to move. "Conflict, like..."

Harry looked to Olly for permission, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't decide whether or not you sit next to your boyfriend."

Harry offered Louis a reassuring smile then, moving his chair a bit closer to the bed so that he wasn't in Olly's way. Olly grabbed the stool from the corner of the room, moving it to the foot of Louis' bed and sitting himself down on it as he struggled to pull a tape recorder from the dark jeans he wore, "Ignore my unprofessional look. I generally dress comfortably for interrogations so-"

"But you aren't interrogating," Harry pointed out as he noticed Louis start to tense up. "Nothing at all that is similar to conflict. Just a simple conversation."

"Correct," Olly gave Louis a reassuring smile. "Honestly, Louis. As of now, you aren't in huge trouble. Sure, they could attempt to charge you for grand theft, but you've never murdered anyone. Hell, I don't ever recall you being present in the store when someone else was."

"There was once," Louis admitted, and Olly flicked on the voice recorder hesitantly, holding up a finger and saying Louis' name, the time, and the date in the recorder before nodding. Louis still paused for a bit until Harry took his hand and squeezed so Louis would have the courage to press on. "She wasn't in the room at first, but I could hear her unlocking the door so I hid under the front desk. I crawled out and escaped out the front door when she was in the back room. She never knew I was there, and I wouldn't have done much if she did except run. I'm a bit of a chicken though, and if she really wanted she could probably have beat me to the floor with the desk chair. I'm not dangerous and I was never armed. During _any_ of my break-ins."

"And you very seldom caused property damage?" Olly asked.

"I'd like to think seldom," Louis nodded. "I could usually get into the building without damaging anything. I used the air vents, or I picked locks... the only times I can remember damaging property is when I dented an air shaft and broke a window with a chair because I couldn't get out the front door when someone was entering in through the back."

"Right," Olly nodded, thinking for a moment. "Have there been times when you have robbed a place that we don't have recorded."

"There is none, I promise. I only started up thieving a year ago, and after the first few hits they put Agent Styles on my case, yes?" Louis' eyes flickered onto Harry. "I made videos. Videos on track phones, videos on cameras... I'd buy them cheap or I'd find them."

"You did this with the income from the jewellery that you stole?"

Louis shook his head, "Kind of? But I occasionally received about £200 than what the jewellery was worth, and I would spend it only on those occasions. I'd rent a cheap hotel, though, and they generally offered food. So then I could some on the cheap camera or phone and I would give the rest to..."

The older man suddenly trailed off, and Harry examined him worriedly. Olly lifted an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"I don't..." Louis said slowly. "Will she have to be questioned? I would really appreciate it if she was left in the dark on this. She's got more important matters to handle and she might feel obligated to give the money back and... wait! She won't have to give the money back, right? She can't, all the kids, they'll-"

"Mr. Tomlinson," Olly interrupted as Louis began breathing heavily, starting to sit up a bit straighter off the pillows. "It's alright. We can discuss it further if you just give us a bit more info..."

Harry wanted so badly to speak out and comfort Louis, but instead he brought Louis' hand up to his lips and placed his lips to Louis' skin, feeling out heated it was becoming the more worked up Louis became. He kept them there, and Louis gradually sank back against the cushions, "Um... her name is Tina Lotus? She... she owns a foster home. She cares for ten kids."

"Ah, I see why she would have much more important matters to handle," Olly nodded. "And the money... went to her?"

"Yes," he said softly. "She wasn't aware of my real name, but I found an ad in the newspaper put in there by a church that she went to. She was looking for donations. And I went to the church and I was dressed decently, I'm a man of quality believe it or not. I convinced them that I was a businessman under the name Robin Hadley and that I had a large sum of money that I wanted to ensure got to her. So they gave me her address and I took her about £1,000 that day. At first she didn't want to accept it, but she was in danger of losing the house and the kids would have to be relocated... so she did accept the money."

At this point, Louis had started sniffling a little, and Harry was nearly prepared to tell Olly to stop the recording so he could comfort his boyfriend. Olly nodded, "So you were helping her out, that day, but what about the rest of the stuff?"

"I went back every week after that if I could," Louis whispered. "The house she had was old and large and a lot needed repaired. Not to mention she still had to buy groceries, and clothes all the time because I'm pretty sure all the kids grew at least two feet in this past year. They're also prone to climbing this large tree in the backyard and ripping stuff, but..."

Louis wiped at his eyes, and Olly seemed to be pondering for a moment. Harry reached out and thumbed a stray tear from Louis' cheek, and Louis gave him a wobbly grin. Finally, Olly asked softly, "So everything you've stolen this past year... it all went to a... charity, in a sense?"

"I guess that's what it is," Louis shrugged, still scrubbing at his cheeks. "Um. I think they'll be alright. I probably could have stopped long ago once the house was repaired. She could make payments since she finally started working a decent job while the kids are at school, and then she can also work from home on the weekends. But I guess like... I wanted to make sure that the kids were happy. And that they could have plenty of food and new things every now and then. Plus they were wonderful kids and it was kind of fun to see how excited they'd get to see me. They were like a second family of mine. I taught them how to play footie... but they'll be okay without me. I can assure you I won't ever steal a dime's worth of anything ever again just as long as you let them keep that money. I'll work off the money lost somehow."

"Very well," Olly seemed a bit choked up himself. "I believe that's all the information I need from you..."

Louis nodded, and Harry was waiting for Olly to tuck the voice recorder back into his pocket so he could murmur soothing words to a still sniffling Louis. Louis, however, asked, "And like... do you know who my lawyer will be?"

"Ah, one last question," Olly said suddenly. "But as for the lawyer, we'll get to that. So the videos you made directed towards Agent Styles? Why him?"

"He was the lead agent on my case..." Louis said softly. "And I didn't exactly know the names of anyone else. I was just amused that they couldn't catch me... I wasn't ever insulting I don't think."

"Very well," Olly nodded, and then he murmured the time, date, and Louis' name once more before clicking off the recorder.

Harry gave Olly a questioning look, and Olly motioned for Harry to speak. Harry was up out of his seat in an instant, leaning over Louis and gently using the jackets of his that Louis had kept for the past week to wipe gently at Louis' face, "You did so well, sweetheart, that was good. See? No conflict."

"Yeah," Louis breathed. "No conflict..."

Olly smiled at the two, "I was right, Styles... teenage girls."

"We are," Harry agreed, and he ran his fingertips gently over Louis cheekbones. "I'm not too upset by it, though. It's actually kind of fun."

"That's love," Olly shrugged.

Louis finally looked away from Harry as he remembered his previous question, "A lawyer for me?"

"You'll get a damn good one," Olly assured. "And he'll fight like hell to get you house arrest, because with this interview that I have in my hand... I am one hundred percent convinced that you don't belong in prison."

"I agree," Harry nodded.

"Who wouldn't?" Olly nodded. "I honestly think we can get Louis out of any chances of prison."

"Good. I may have threatened to see him in handcuffs way back at the beginning of the year, but now I've satisfied that need in a much different way and I think I'd rather see him smile for like... the rest of my life," Harry replied, gently caressing Louis' cheek. Louis grinned and blushed a little, and Harry smiled as well. "Yeah. Like that, the smile that makes his eyes and nose crinkle."

"You're gone, mate," Olly sighed, almost in sympathy. "Agent Styles, softened by love."

Harry arched a brow at that, "Agent Murs. I'll still try to kick your ass. I probably won't get very far with my arm, but-"

"Hey," Olly pointed out. "We match."

The man tapped his arm, despite the fact that a sweater covered it, and Harry chuckled, "Oh yes. How could I forget?"

"Well," Olly sighed. "I've got to get back to work now, file some stuff, write down this recording. I've also got lots of lawyers to get ahold of so I can find Louis a good one by Monday. Luckily I think I've got a decent one in mind."

The two said farewell to Agent Murs, and then Harry was kissing Louis lovingly, his hands stroking at Louis' hair and back. Louis hummed against Harry's lips, his fingers tangling into the material of Harry's shirt. Much to Harry's joy, no one interrupted them like they had in previous times, and he only ended the kiss when he could feel Louis' breaths becoming faster and uneven.

"Hey, I wasn't done with you," Louis panted as Harry sat back down in his chair.

"Sorry, babe."

Louis grinned, "Babe... I've gotten that a lot from you earlier. And what was it earlier? Sweetheart?"

"I could call you jackass, if you'd like?" Harry shot back.

Louis gave a fake swoon at that, "Please do, you're such a romantic, Harry."

"Maybe wanker," Harry hummed, leaning and resting his elbows on Louis' bed. "A hospital shower, though, Shakira?"

"That's my all-time favourite," Louis announced. "Shakira is... or maybe Robin Hood, but I'm giving up that title I think."

"Egghead is probably mine," Harry told him.

"Oh!" Louis gasped, pointing to the chairs by the window. "Egghead is over there. Will you move him back next to my flowers, please?"

"Sure, ba-" Harry caught himself. "Er... okay, so I don't actually want to call you jackass but if you don't like babe, then-"

Louis' eyebrows shot up, "Oh no! No, I do like babe. I'm sorry... I was just saying that you used it a lot. I like it, it's alright. I've probably called you it a few times as well."

Harry retrieved the Egghead from the chairs, moving the stuffed egg back next to Louis' flowers. He adjusted the vase a bit to ensure that the stuffed toy could sit without falling off, and then used standing to his advantage and kissed the top of Louis' head.

"Hey," Harry hummed. "I love you and I mean it."

"Random," Louis murmured. "But I love _you_ and I mean it."

"I just hadn't said it in a while," Harry grinned. "Making sure you still knew."

"Of course," Louis nodded. "You never allow me to forget, you're so wonderful. I'm sorry if I suck and don't do the same..."

"I know you love me," Harry insisted. "I mean, no one else calls me wonderful things like Egghead."

Louis reached for Harry's hand, sighing deeply, "Our mums will be back soon, Egghead. And then my mother is going to say rude things to you again, probably."

"That's quite alright," Harry flipped Louis' hand over and traced the lines on his palm. "She's a lot like you. Sassy and what not. It just seems different because she doesn't love me. And besides, I'd take a bullet much less an insult if it meant keeping you around."

Louis' nose scrunched, "Stick with the insults. You're already involved too much with bullets..."

"The same goes to you," Harry pointed out. "It's insane to me how much you can make me feel though. It's not just the agent side of me that does it. With a job like mine, you see people lose people close to them. And you feel bad, but it's really... really horrible in a sense, because after a while you become numb to it. You sympathize but that's the most you let yourself do. But with you... if you're hurt, or scared, or upset... if you're anything but happy and content I can't function almost. It's like I have to have you happy again before I'm happy. And if something really bad happened to you, well just... that would just shatter me to pieces because I need you so much."

Louis' blue eyes were soft, and he reached out for a hug then, "Oh, Egghead... you're going to make me cry! I need you, too, I feel all those things, too!"

Harry hummed, standing to hug Louis, "Don't cry... maybe that's the reason we always joke instead of holding heart to hearts. Here lately though I've had to tell you so many things because it feels like if I don't my heart will explode."

"I like heart to hearts," Louis assured, clinging to Harry. "We're all just very emotional lately."

"Things will get better after Monday," Harry promised. "It's one less possibility of losing one another. I don't think I'll ever get over that fear though or stop feeling those feelings."

"Same with me," Louis murmured into Harry's shoulder, tightening the hug. "But what was it that Agent Murs, said? That's love. And I like this love."

"Me too," Harry kissed Louis' temple. "But yeah... that's love."


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember much about the court system exactly even though I tried to do some research okay I'm a freshman in college and haven't had government for over a year AND THIS DOESN'T EVEN PERTAIN TO THE GOVERNMENT I KNOW LIKE... Anyway. I'm just a child, forgive me. There's probably going to be some major inaccuracies pertaining to the law in these next few chapters. Hopefully it doesn't screw anything up for you.

* * *

Monday morning Harry's alarm went off at 6:30am, but he was already awake. And he was freaking out. He'd been freaking out since Sunday when Agent Murs returned to the hospital with Louis' lawyer a few hours before Louis' sisters had come to visit one last time before Louis' court hearing. The lawyer was a man, slightly shorter than Harry, with dark hair slicked to one side, dressed in a gray suit. His name was Russell Patch, and Harry wasn't entirely sure what to think of him. He'd never met the man, hadn't even heard his name at the bureau. But Olly claimed that the man was decent.

"I'm afraid of him," Louis had told Harry the moment the two men had left the hospital room.

"Well hopefully you only have to see him tomorrow and then you'll be done," Harry responded.

And now Monday, the day of Louis' court day, had finally arrived. Harry was certain he felt more nervous than he would have felt taking Louis in like he had planned on doing. He wasn't allowed to _attend_ the court case. But that wouldn't stop him from seeing Louis as he checked out of the hospital and waiting outside the magistrate's court for the older man. Anne was tagging along as well, had taken off from work once more despite Harry's protests that he would be fine on his own once more.

He got up and dressed himself before hurrying to the bathroom to fix his hair. He really needed to shave, and he figured he should clean his arm, but he was too anxious to get to the hospital before Louis checked out at noon only to arrive at the court at 1pm.

In the living room, his mother was only just waking up and Harry stood in the entryway to the kitchen, "So, uh..."

"I won't take long," his mother assured.

"Louis' probably nervous..." he mumbled. _I'm nervous_ , he thought.

She nodded, "Alright, I'll hurry."

She slipped to the bathroom to put on makeup and to get dressed, and Harry wandered around in the kitchen while he wondered if he should take his pain medicine. Eventually Anne came into the kitchen to find him organizing the silverware that was already fairly orderly, and he turned and nodded, "Are we ready to go?"

"We're ready," his mother nodded.

He snagged his badge and wallet from where he'd placed them on the shelf above his coat pegs, and then he and his mother left the house. They didn't stop anywhere for breakfast like his mother usually did, and Harry figured it was because she could feel the tension radiating off of him. They went straight to the hospital and up to Louis' floor. Louis was standing awkwardly, clean shaven and dressed in a black suit and a tie that his mother was adjusting. The suit was awkward, a bit long in the arms and legs but tight around his bum and thighs. However, Louis still looked stunning.

"Professional," Harry murmured from the door, and Louis' eyes anxiously met his.

"Egghead!"

He entered the room, finally allowing his mother, who was standing behind him, entrance as well. She stood aside to examine Louis as well, "Yes, very nice, Louis."

"It doesn't fit right," Louis whimpered. "I couldn't go be measured where Mum rented it, so..."

Harry walked straight up to Louis, careful not to unbalance him even though his ribs were basically healed, and cupped his face, "You look fine. Stunning, actually."

"Will you help me style my hair?" Louis asked softly. "My mother is useless at it and my right arm still doesn't like being lifted above my head..."

Jay sighed, "My hands are too shaky at the moment."

"Yeah," Harry murmured, ducking down to kiss Louis softly. "Of course, babe..."

Jay handed over a bag of hair supplies, but Louis simply pulled the hairspray free, "Hate hair gel, to be honest. Think my lawyer will probably be wearing enough for the both of us."

" _Louis,_ " Harry giggled in disbelief, having Louis sit carefully on the bed. "Don't mention that to him, we need him to defend you."

"Sorry..." Louis murmured. "I get mean when I'm nervous."

Harry hummed, combing through the slight tangles of Louis' hair and smoothing it into a desirable part so he could quiff it, "You aren't mean, babe. You're sassy. There's a difference."

The agent felt the older man's hand come up and settle on Harry's thigh, almost as if he were holding Harry in place in front of him, "But... I _am_ nervous, Egghead..."

"Me, too," Harry admitted, and he felt Louis tense from where his hands were messing with Louis' hair, so he quickly assured the man. "It's okay, though. It's going to be okay. I'll be waiting for you no matter what happens, remember?"

Louis was suddenly leaning forward and burying his face into Harry's middle, clinging onto him like a small child. Harry wrapped him up gently in his arms, stroking his back. He felt Jay and Anne staring at them with soft eyes, and he gave them a shaky smile. After a few moments, Louis pulled back and nodded, "Okay... I think I'm good now. Probably messed up my hair, but-"

"I can fix it again, it's okay," Harry assured.

Louis held the hairspray while Harry fixed his hair, handing it to the agent when he felt around on the bed for it. Harry shielded Louis' eyes with one hand and ran his fingers once through the styled quiff once he was sure Louis' hair would hold.

"Generally I go for a natural look," Louis shrugged. "But I figured this would be more professional."

Harry nodded, helping Louis back to his feet and ever so gently smoothing the suit out, his touch feather light on Louis' ribs, "You look great."

Louis stepped into Harry's embrace again, this time avoiding messing his hair up again. He clung tightly onto Harry, and Harry could hear Louis' nervous breathing as Louis croaked, "I think I need the oxygen tubes again."

Harry pulled back in alarm, "Are you-"

"I'm kidding," Louis whispered. "Kidding... trying to get out of this court thing. What the hell did I do Harry, I fucked up so much-"

Harry hugged him once more, as tightly as he dared without hurting Louis' ribs, and he shook his head, "No. No you didn't, okay? This is coming from a federal agent. You didn't hurt anyone, and you gave what you took to someone who needed it."

"Yeah," Louis mumbled into Harry's shoulder. "And you're not biased at all."

The younger man chuckled, gently stroking down Louis' back, "If by biased you mean that because I'm your boyfriend I'm obligated to think you're the best fucking thing ever, then no... not biased at all. I just _do_ happen to think that you're the best fucking thing ever."

"And you're my boyfriend."

"Yeah," Harry laughed. "I'm your boyfriend."

Jay made her way over to the embracing two, pacing back and forth a bit, "Alright... so if we're checking out of here at noon and the guards are actually escorting Louis to the court. I'm calling a cab as I'm not allowed to ride along with them, so do you think that traffic would be decent enough for me to make it there at the same time as him?"

"Hopefully," Louis paled.

"We can drive you," Anne offered, and Harry nodded instantly.

"We'll get you there before Louis, more than likely," Harry promised, and Anne nodded in agreement.

Jay bit her lip, and Louis clung a bit tighter onto Harry before Jay finally agreed, "Please... if it isn't any trouble."

"Something tells me we'll be going to the courthouse to wait anyway," Anne hummed, examining Harry and Louis. "Let's go see if they have any good tea or coffee in the food court, Jay, would you like to?"

Jay nodded tightly, and Anne led the nervous woman from the room. Louis pulled back to look at Harry the moment she had left, "She's so nervous. I know she's trying not to be so that she doesn't make me panic but I know, and if that's her _hiding_ how nervous she is then-"

"Everything will be fine..." Harry whispered, thumbing over Louis' cheekbones. "Can I have a crinkly-eyed smile, Shakira? I haven't gotten one today."

"They're going to take me away from you."

Harry gently seized Louis' face in his hands, "They're _not_. Now... let's finish getting your stuff together, and that won't take long because you don't have much, and then I'll read to you, okay?"

Louis watched helplessly as Harry gathered up the clothes Jay had bought the older man, grabbed Egghead, and his own jackets that he went ahead and put with Louis' things. Louis held up a finger, pointing to the bag Jay had brought, "Do you think I'd be allowed to bring a stuffed egg into the courtroom?"

"I don't think so, babe," Harry murmured apologetically.

Louis' bottom lip pouted out, and Harry suddenly really wanted to kiss him as he whined, "They won't let me bring _any_ Eggheads."

"But there'll be an Egghead waiting outside for you," Harry promised.

Louis nodded, "Good. I'm glad he and the rest of my stuff will be there."

Harry blinked, "I was talking about myself, but... okay."

The younger man turned back around to situate Louis' bag on the chairs by the window, and he felt arms wrap around his waist, "You'll work, too."

Harry read to Louis, and then somewhat was reading awkwardly into the quiet room once their mothers returned. Yet Harry would take that over noon arriving, and noon came much faster than any of them would have liked. The guards that usually took place at Louis' door accompanied them while they walked down to sign Louis out of the hospital, which was simple with Dan Deakin's insurance, and then the guards were prepared to escort Louis out.

"Wait!" Louis croaked. "I have to go the bathroom."

"I'll take Tomlinson," Harry told the guards, yet they followed the two anyway, explaining to Harry that they were backing him up. Much to Harry's relief, they waited outside the men's room while Harry and Louis both went inside.

Like Harry had expected, Louis didn't have to use the restroom at all. He nearly stumbled over in his desperation to get close to Harry, catching himself on Harry's shoulders before he seized Harry's face and desperately slammed their lips together. Harry wanted to tangle his fingers into Louis' hair, but he was already rumpling his suit a bit. Harry had to unwillingly pull back from Louis and hush Louis' panicked protests of, "But Harry-"

"Don't act like this is a goodbye, Shakira," Harry whispered. "It's not a goodbye..."

Louis looked prepared to burst into tears, and Harry's heart felt as if it was crumbling. The older lad hung his head, "What if it's months... even _years_ before you see me again. Agent Payne won't let you attend the court hearing, so why would he let you visit me in prison?"

"Stop..." Harry hushed. "If he says I can't visit you, then fuck him."

"You're not quitting," Louis told him, straightening instantly. "Don't you dare fucking quit for me, do you hear me Harry Styles? I'll bust out of prison and kick your ass."

Which was so much like the Louis Tomlinson Harry was coming to know. He was almost always ignoring his own needs to meet the needs of others. Harry cupped his cheek, a sad smile forming on his face as he thumbed at a stray tear that slipped down Louis' cheek, "But you'd be with me, so that's not much of a threat..."

"Promise me you won't quit. You're the best fucking agent there is, remember?"

"I'm only promising because I know that I won't have to quit," Harry kissed Louis' nose. "You're stuck with me, Shakira. Sorry. No jail for you."

"My frog-face, Egghead, Harry Styles..." Louis whispered.

Harry nodded, "My Robin Hood, Shakira, Louis Tomlinson... wash your hands so it looks like you actually used the restroom."

"Good thinking," Louis kissed Harry one last time before heading to the sink to wash his hands.

Harry followed Louis out of the bathroom, his heart sinking as one of the guards reached for handcuffs. The lead agent shook his head, holding up a hand in protest, "Don't put them behind his back. His ribs..."

The guards had a dark car waiting for Louis outside the hospital, and Harry instantly hurried towards the car that Anne and Jay were already in. Harry wanted to request permission to drive, but his mother drove a fast enough speed to keep Harry satisfied. The car park was several streets away from the building with the circular front, and they dropped Jay off at the sidewalk in front of the entrance that read _City of London Magistrate's Court_.

As soon as they had parked, Harry was hurrying from the car and walking down the sidewalk back towards the court building. Anne caught up with him, gently catching his arm, "We can't attend love..."

"I know..." he nodded. "But I'm curious if I can get in the building and sit in the sitting room or something while the trial occurs... maybe catch a glimpse of Louis and try and reassure him somehow.  I know he's got his mum, and it's so good that he does, but I'm worried about him."

They walked the few blocks, with Harry anxiously pressing buttons on the crosswalk poles as if it would make the lights change faster. Once they had reached the building, he was up the steps before his mother was even on the third, and she huffed, "Harry Styles, stop using your long legs and training to your advantage. I am an old woman. Wait. Up."

"Mum, you're only forty-three and you're almost in better shape than I am," Harry frowned. "If I wasn't channeling my adrenaline into something positive like my job has taught me to, you'd be dragging me up the steps because my legs would be shaking so badly."

Harry found a long row of chairs, and he sat down in them tucking his hands between his knees so he didn't have to watch them tremble with anxiety. Anne sat next to him, patting his knee, "You were so assuring to Louis, earlier. What happened to that Harry?"

"That was the Harry that doesn't like seeing his Robin Hood upset," Harry whispered. "But now my Robin Hood isn't _here_ and I'm terrified that he isn't going to be for a really long time."

"If he is given a few years..." Anne said slowly, and Harry's eyes flashed to her nervously. "Maybe the judge will put a bail on him."

"If he's charged for grand theft?" Harry shook his head. "No... if they jail him, he won't... they won't let him out."

"He's a good guy," Anne disagreed. "He'd be on probation in no time."

Harry pulled his hands free from his knees, burying his face into them, "He can't go to prison. He just can't, he's not... _built_ for it. He's so small, I can curl him up and hold him to my chest, he... he doesn't like conflict, and he more than likely won't _defend_ himself because he just... he won't fight back."

"He defends himself from you..." Anne frowned.

"Because he knows he doesn't actually have to," Harry whispered. "The guy that he would sell the jewellery to, he was a total _dick_. He pushed Louis, and I wanted to kick his ass... but Louis didn't do anything to him. Granted, the man was the size of a fucking yeti, but still. A lot of the guys in prison will probably be, too. And he's still _hurt!_ "

His mum gently reached out to rub his back, "We'll just see what happens, love... that's all we can do."

Harry pulled his phone out and glanced at the time, "It's 1:05pm..."

"Mhm," she agreed. "The hearing has probably started already. I believe the room is down the hall and through some double doors. That's where people have been heading."

Harry stood, "I need to walk."

He paced back and forth in front of the long line of chairs as his mother examined the floor tiles. The lead agent wanted so badly to be in that room. He knew very well that Agent Murs was. As agent on the case, Agent Murs had to make a statement related to Louis' crimes. Harry only hoped the man did a damn good job at telling it how it was. Louis' thieveries weren't as wrong as they seemed. Louis was good. Louis wasn't prison material.

"Love, you're making me a bit dizzy," Anne said softly, after Harry hadn't stopped moving for the past half hour.

"It's been thirty minutes," Harry whispered. "Usually they're close to coming to a verdict. Unless things are going bad."

"What if they don't even decide today?"

"They will," Harry mumbled. "There isn't even a specific person to testify against him because he hit so many jewellery stores."

"Louis' a pretty big deal, though?" Anne nodded. "Which would explain while camera men and news reporters are lining up the sidewalks."

"They can't do that!" Harry protested.

"They're not actually on property of the building," she sighed. "So they can..."

Harry sank into a chair, "This is bullshit. I don't think I can do this, why didn't Agent Payne let me go in there?!"

"You explained to me why," his mother soothed. "It was a good reason. It's better for Louis' case if you aren't in the room. Agent Murs is siding with you. He's for Louis' house arrest rather than a prison sentence. We've covered it so many times."

Harry's fingers rubbed at his temples as his throat began to burn and he could feel the tears threatening to well in his eyes, "If he goes to prison... Louis says I can't quit, but I'm going to want to quit."

"Zayn and Niall want to be here," Anne murmured. "They haven't been texting you because they knew that you'd be preoccupied, but they've been texting me and asking how you were. They wanted to take off work and come... but they can't. They wouldn't want you to quit either."

"I promised Louis I wouldn't," Harry croaked. "So I won't if it comes down to that. I just don't want it to come down to that."

From down the hall, the sound of opening doors echoed into the open space. Harry was back on his feet in an instant, and Anne caught his arm, "Not yet, love..."

People made their way from the hall and out the front door, chattering idly. Harry couldn't care less about them, though. He knew that they all knew whether or not his boyfriend was going to prison, and he was tempted to grab one and ask, but he didn't want to risk missing Louis. The throng of people slowed, and eventually only a few still trailed out of the hall. Harry took one more step forward, but then he could hear more people approaching.

It was Louis, still lead by the same two guards, with Jay walking quickly behind them. Harry absentmindedly felt his mother seize hold of his wrist, but he paid no mind to the tight grip. Because Louis wasn't paying attention to him and neither was Jay, but one thing Harry could see, one thing he could _hear_ , was that they were both sobbing.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)

* * *

Harry's heart felt as if it could bust into a tiny million pieces all over the sitting room in the magistrates court. He moved to run towards the sobbing boy, because he _had to know_ , but his mother caught his shirt as well as already having a grip on his wrist, "Wait and see if they notice _you_ Harry, you aren't supposed to be here."

"But-" Harry spluttered desperately, his throat feeling as if it was closing up. "He's crying!"

"I know..." she said softly. "We'll just have to see. I'm sorry."

Harry stared as hard as he could at the sobbing boy, wanting to just yell out his name. But if Louis looked, the guards would look, and it couldn't be found out that Harry was there. Jay was too preoccupied with following the guards to pay any attention elsewhere, and the guards on both side of Louis blocked Louis from view once they were directly across the room from Harry and Anne. And then much to Harry's dismay, they were walking out of the magistrate’s court house, and Jay hurried out after them.

"They couldn't have..." Harry croaked.

Agent Murs was flipping through a folder, his brow furrowed, as he walked out from the hall, and Harry would have rushed him as well if it weren't for his mother's hands holding onto him, "Shh..."

Olly left the building as well, and then Harry was rushing out as well, pulling free from his mother's hands, "I told him I would be _outside_. He probably looked for me _outside_ and I wasn't there!"

The camera crews were already leaving, proving that Louis was already gone as well. Harry stood at the top of the steps, feeling all hope drain completely from his body. They hadn't gotten Louis house arrest. He just knew it. Louis had been so scared, and Harry had almost completely promised him that he would be okay and wouldn't have to go to jail. Yet, he'd failed Louis, he'd basically lied right to Louis' face like he actually knew what the hell he was talking about.

"Harry," his mother said gently, taking him by the crook of his good arm. "C'mon. We can go to the bureau and you can find Agent Murs."

"Did they have him in handcuffs?" Harry wheezed.

"Um..." she sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I think they did. Behind his back. I saw them when they went out of the building."

And Harry cracked slightly, "Damn it..."

His mother put a hand on his lower back, carefully leading him away from the cameras and back towards the car, "I know."

Harry allowed Anne to lead him across the streets, his legs basically refusing to work. When they reached the car, he shakily slipped into the passenger seat. In the front floorboard, since Jay had earlier been in the passenger seat, was Louis' bag of clothes, and on the top of the pile was the stuffed egg Harry had gotten him.

Anne climbed into the car, glancing over at Harry as he pulled the stuffed egg from the bag with trembling hands. He stared at the egg in his shaking hands for a few moments, and then he felt himself crumbling completely, "I lied to my Shakira..."

"You didn't," his mother reached over and touched his trembling hands. "You didn't do anything, you told him it would be alright, and it's going to be. You said that no matter what happened that it was going to be okay."

"I can't know that," Harry sniffled, pressing his face into the stuffed toy. It'd been quite some time since he'd cried in front of his mother, but he couldn't even be bothered by it. "If I can't see him in prison-"

"You don't even know that he is going to prison," Anne started the vehicle, quickly backing it out of the space. "But we're going to find out."

 Harry sat clutching onto the stuffed toy in his hands as his mother drove, "If he has to go to prison I can't keep them from hurting him... what if they hurt him, I-"

"Harry, love," his mother soothed. "You're panicking yourself. Where's the level headed agent?"

But when it came to Louis, there was no level headed agent. Harry had learned that the day Louis was shot, "I told him I wouldn't let them send him to jail, I told him I'd be waiting for him outside the courthouse-"

Anne didn't say anything, but Harry was certain that she was driving a bit faster. She parked in Harry's usual spot up front at the bureau, and Harry twisted his long legs out of the vehicle, preparing to rush into the building.

His mother stopped him, however, "Harry... you're holding Egghead still."

Harry looked in surprise down to his hands, and then quickly yet gently placed Egghead in the seat before he nodded and shut the door. The lead agent rushed in through the front door, and he considered rushing straight to Agent Payne, but he was so distressed he didn't want to end up snapping right there in front of his boss. So he rushed up to the floor above his where Olly Murs would be, or where he hoped he would be.

He stepped out of the lift on Agent Murs' team's floor, looking around anxiously for the man. He didn't see him, but then he was suddenly being hugged violently from the side of his bad arm. His arm protested, but then a voice was sniffling, "Oh! Your arm, right-"

"Jay?!" Harry gasped, turning in surprise.

Before he could even examining him she was hugging him again, sobbing quite loudly, "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you-"

Harry felt his knees go weak and his arms fluttered up awkwardly in shock, "He- did he get house arrest?"

"Six months house arrest, five years community service that starts almost immediately after!" Jay sobbed happily.

"Shit," Harry wheezed. "Thank God..."

She pulled back, smiling massively at him through her tears, "I'm so sorry for anything mean I've ever said to you... I'll _definitely_ be kinder to you now. Even though you _will_ be showing up at my house every day, am I correct?"

"Yes..." Harry whispered, still to relieved to speak more than a few words.

"Are you alright?" she patted his shoulder. "Didn't hurt your arm, did I? Louis will kill me. "

"I'm fine, you didn't hurt me," Harry croaked, and then smiled scrubbing at his eyes as tears sprang to them once more. "I'm just so relieved... I was there. I wasn't supposed to go to the hearing but I sat in the big sitting room right inside the front doors. When you all came out, you were crying and-"

"We were so relieved," Jay nodded.

"I couldn't tell if you were upset or happy," Harry clasped his hands together. "So I've been a little upset myself. But now that I know he's not going to jail I just... I can't even begin to explain how happy I am. Where is he?"

Jay smiled apologetically at Harry, "Sorry we frightened you. Louis was looking for you _outside_ the courthouse, but not inside. But, uh, he's in the back room filling out papers. I just finished that as well, and they had to look up proof that Louis really did live with me before he... well, you know the story."

"So that's why the guards escorted him here," Harry nodded. "I should have considered that, I just automatically assumed the worst."

"Yes, that and he has to have an ankle tracker," Jay replied, and motioned for Harry to follow her. They walked back to the room that was usually use to interrogate, waiting outside the soundproof room. "They're escorting us back to our house as well. They're currently telling Louis what he can and can't do."

"Did they charge him for grand theft?"

"I think he'll want to tell you," Jay told him. "So you'll just have to come to the house once the agents and whoever his parole officer is have left."

"Agent Murs will most likely be his parole officer," Harry chuckled. "So I'll definitely be visiting. Even if Louis _wasn't_ allowed visitors, I'd still visit."

Jay nodded, "For a bit I was afraid they wouldn't grant him house arrest with me since his sisters are there, but Agent Murs pointed out that he was no longer dangerous and they're giving him a chance. If he is suspected for thievery again he'll be sentenced to prison immediately. He is also limited to the house and yard. If he steps foot on the sidewalk, Agent Murs will show up and he'll be escorted back here and sentenced to jail as well..."

"He's a good man," Harry assured. "They won't send him to jail if they haven't sent him already. I am so incredibly happy right now."

Jay smiled, rubbing Harry's back, "Me too, Harry. But now that I think about it... maybe you should go visit your friends on your floor until Louis is home... when he sees you he'll no doubt start crying again. I'll text you the moment you can come over."

Harry pursed his lips, "Um... but I already told him that I'd wait for him outside the courthouse and I kind of messed that up, so-"

"You were there, he just didn't see you," Jay pointed out. "I hate joining in with these other agents and saying that we shouldn't let anyone expect anything, but I don't want you or Louis in trouble."

The younger man scratched his chin, but he nodded, "You're right... I'm glad you and my mother have kept a clear head during all of this, because I'm slowly losing my mind, I'm certain."

"Harry Styles, I'm not sure if you and my son have _had_ minds since I got Louis back and since I met you," Jay chuckled. "It's funny, but I'm thinking all happened after you two met one another."

Harry blushed, "Okay... and you'll text me? Ah, I'll need your address, as well."

"I'll text you," Jay promised. "Or Louis will."

Harry smiled, and he nodded, "Alright... okay, I'll see you both soon."

Jay patted his back once more as if telling him to get a move on before Louis came out, and Harry hurried back to the lift. He rode down to the main floor first so he could rush out to his mother. He went to her door instead, opening her door and smiling largely.

Anne smiled anxiously back, "This... this looks like good news!"

"He got six months of house arrest and five years community service!" Harry croaked joyfully. "My Robin Hood isn't going to jail!"

"That's so good, Harry!" Anne grabbed Harry's hands in her own. "I'm so happy for you."

"Jay is going to text me as soon as I can go visit him today. Once he's settled at the house... so until then, I was going to be talking to Zayn and Niall up on our floor. Would you like to come up, too, or...?"

"I'll sit here," Anne chuckled. "I've got a book to finish now that I'm not so worried for you two."

Harry nodded, shutting his mother's door and hurrying back into the building. He took the lift once more up to his team's floor, and as the lift dinged and he walked out and towards Niall's cubicle, Niall was already rolling out of it in his chair. Niall's eyes widened as he spotted Harry, and then he was leaping up and racing for Harry.

"Harry, did he-"

"Shh," Harry grinned. "He got house arrest. I don't know what he was charged with yet, but I'm going to find out later when I go to visit him."

Zayn was out of his cubicle then, "Niall, did you just say- Harry!"

"Zayn," Harry waved.

"So... Tomlinson?" Zayn asked slowly.

"Is not going to be a prisoner," Harry grinned. "Well, he kind of will be, but in his own house, so..."

Zayn smiled widely, "I'm happy for you, mate! Louis' a good guy and I'm glad you don't have to be separated from him."

"And if you've got Louis around you're not a total dick at work!" Niall declared happily. "Plus, y'know... Louis' cool, too."

Harry continued chatting to the two, changing the subject to whatever he'd been missing while he was off. They of course changed it to ask what Harry and Louis had been up to since Harry was off, and Harry simply told them that he'd just been visiting Louis every day. However, it dawned on Harry that he should get Louis a sort of welcome home gift, even if it wasn't his own house that Louis was staying in. He'd been glancing at his phone every few minutes, anyway, and he thought that maybe getting out of the bureau would help pass the time a bit faster.

He said farewell to Niall and Zayn, heading back down the lift and out to the car. His mother smiled at him as he slid into the passenger seat, "So where's Louis'?"

Harry sighed, "She hasn't texted yet..."

"I did see them come out though," Anne chuckled. "They didn't see me, but I saw them. So it won't be long now, babe."

"Can you take me to the flower shop?" Harry asked. "I haven't ordered anything, but I'd like to get Louis a sort of... welcome home gift?"

"For Jay's house," Anne chuckled, and Harry blushed. "Sure, love."

At the shop, Harry settled for a smaller vase of flowers than he had gotten Louis at the hospital. There weren't any other Egghead options, but there was a stuffed frog holding a heart that Harry picked up and hurried to the front desk with. He purchased Louis' gifts, and as he was headed back out to his car, he could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket. He was moving in a mad scramble then to set the things down in the car so he could reach his phone, and he ended up setting the face on the hood and balancing it against him so he could snatch his phone out of his pocket.

It was a call rather than a text, but it was a call from _Zayn._ Harry huffed at that, answering it in an unhappy tone, "This better be important. I just juggled Louis' flowers to answer this."

"You wouldn't answer the phone like that to Louis or his mum!" Zayn said in exasperation.

"You're right, because I'm _expecting_ them to contact me!"

Zayn was quiet, "Um... I was just going to ask when you were coming back to work."

"Wednesday."

"Oh..."

"Yeah," Harry said impatiently. "Is that it?"

"Yep, I'm good," Zayn nodded. "Have fun at your boyfriends!"

The man hung up before Harry could say anything else, and Harry scowled as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and reached for the flowers. Just as he picked them up, his phone buzzed again, but he slipped into the car and placed the flowers between his legs and the frog on his lap before he pulled it out of his pocket to look at it.

"Did you get the directions?" Anne asked him, reaching out to carefully take the stuffed frog so she could look at it.

"Zayn called but-" Harry opened the text message he had received. "Jay texted! We can go, here's his address."

Harry handed over his phone for Anne to see, and Anne pursed her lips, "Alright. It might take a bit, but we'll find it."

She typed it into the GPS on her phone, however, and Harry reached out to take the stuffed frog back off of her lap, "As long as we get there."

His mother set her phone back down as it made a dinging sound and a female voice began speaking. She glanced over at the flowers and the frog, sighing, "My son is a sap... so what's the story behind the frog, 'Egghead'?"

Harry smiled, "I'm also frog-face..."

Anne simply sighed fondly and pulled away from the flower shop. After several strange turns down roads they wouldn't have even considered taking, they reached the Tomlinson house. It was quaint, not the largest, but it was good. It was blue with a fenced in yard and rose bushes growing near the front steps. It only seemed to be one story, and it had a fireplace that was billowing a bit of smoke from the top.

"This is it?" Anne asked.

"I suppose," Harry nodded. "I guess we'll find out."

Harry gathered the flowers and the stuffed frog, and Anne came around to take them from him, "Don't strain your arm. I shouldn't have let you carry them out in the first place."

"Honestly, mother, I'm fine," Harry sighed, but he lead the way up to the wooden door with the large glass window, lightly rapping his knuckles against it.

He could hear younger girls calling out something inside, and then the girl he recognized as Felicity opened the door, "Oh. Agent Styles, right?"

"Harry," Harry chuckled. "I won't ever be here for agent purposes."

Jay opened the door then, "Harry, Anne! I haven't told Louis you were coming... I kind of wanted it to be a surprise. He's getting settled in his room. Come in."

They stepped in, and Jay showed Anne where she could set Louis' flowers down. She placed them on the coffee table in the front room, just around the corner from the entryway to the house. Harry could see the kitchen on the right. The inside of the house had a very home-y feel, very welcoming. Harry figured he could really get used to the white walls, wood floors, and pictures of Louis' family decoratively place around.

And then, Louis came walking into the living room from what looked like a hallway. He had one arm wrapped around his ribs, was wearing sweats and a t-shirt rather than a suit, and when he spotted Harry his eyes grew wide.

"Shakira..." Harry said softly, and then Louis was stumbling for him.

"Harry!" he gasped, grabbing Harry up in a tight hug and bursting into tears. "Harry, they're not taking me away from you!"

Harry wrapped him up tight as well, figuring that if he was hurting Louis' ribs that the boy would say something. Instead, Louis was simply sobbing happily into Harry's shoulder as Harry nodded, "I know... I know, I'm so happy..."

Louis pulled back then, seizing Harry's face in his hands and pressing their lips together happily. It was a bit of a salty kiss, but Harry didn't mind as he hummed against Louis' hips and moved his hands to Louis' waist to hold him tighter.

The smaller man removed his lips from Harry's, but pressed his nose against Harry's cheek as he hugged him tight again, "I was looking for you at the court house to tell you but it was kind of hard to see, I was crying like a lot, I was just so relieved that I didn't have to go to prison and not get to see you for a long time and-"

"I was inside the court house anyway," Harry whispered. "You weren't looking for me in there, which is understandable since I said I'd be outside. But I was so nervous, I had to wait for you in there."

"Oh..." Louis sniffed, and then he giggled. "Whoops. I should have looked for you then, too."

"Nah," Harry hummed kissing Louis' temple. "You had no idea. But, uh... I did see you."

"Had a right meltdown, he did," Anne added.

Harry looked over Louis' head to see that they had developed an audience. Anne and Jay looked fond, while Felicity looked a bit hesitant, and Daisy and Phoebe looked confused.

"I'm sorry, Egghead," Louis cooed. "I didn't mean to alarm you."

The younger man pulled back to wipe away Louis' tears, keeping Louis' face in his hands when he was finished. Louis reached up with his good arm and thumbed at Harry's damp cheeks as well, and then Harry smiled, "We're okay now, though. You've got house arrest! You're stuck with me visiting you every day for six months!"

Louis flashed Harry a crinkly-eyed smile, "You're going to make me cry again."

"Happy tears?" Harry asked hopefully.

"The happiest tears I've ever cried," Louis agreed. "And after six months, I'm free to live wherever as long as I attend my community service every day."

"Hmm," Harry nodded, and then he smirked a bit. "How nice! Have you been looking at a place to rent, yet?"

Louis stared at him for a few moments, "I..."

"Even if you did, I think I'd just have to drag you back to my house with me," Harry explained. "I'd very rarely let you leave, so it'd be pointless to live somewhere else."

Louis leaned and whispered into Harry's ear, "Would you use the handcuffs on me again, agent?"

Harry smirked, "I might have to if you try to escape from me. You're mine now."

"I'm not complaining," Louis nuzzled back against Harry's chest.

Harry led the man back over to the couch to sit, and Jay showed Anne into the kitchen so they could have some tea. The girls scurried away down the hall, and Harry looked around, "Did your entire family just abandon you?"

"They gave me hugs," Louis chuckled. "Thought they were going to break my ribs again. They'd probably be all over me still, but I think you intimidate them a bit. You could probably snap any of us in half, you giant."

Louis snuggled up against Harry's side, and Harry hummed, resting his head on Louis', "I missed this... the hospital didn't really leave any privacy for cuddling. Oh, your stuff is in my car, by the way."

"Egghead, too?" Louis asked with a laugh, but then froze as his eyes fell on the coffee table. "More flowers?"

"And a frog-face."

"And a frog-face!" Louis exclaimed scooting forward with difficulty to touch the flower petals before he picked up the frog and wiggled backwards to cuddle with Harry again. "Thank you... you're probably a way better boyfriend than me."

"No way," Harry disagreed. "You've got me so beat."

Louis sighed happily reaching across to Harry's bad arm, "How's that feeling?”

"Fine," Harry hummed. "And your ribs are good?"

"Perfect."

Harry smiled, "Good... now. Tell me how the hearing went?"

Louis sat up a bit straighter, but he tangled his fingers with Harry's, "Well, at first my lawyer kind of freaked me out because he didn't have a briefcase like you see on those judge shows, you know? He just had a folder. And Agent Murs was there as well and I was terrified that he was going to make me sound like some crazy bastard. But he didn't... he explained about Tina and the kids and how I was always a good citizen up until last year when I started stealing for them. I gave about the same story, but I think I accidentally talked more about the kids than my own crime. They asked a few questions regarding to the stores I hit... they asked if I had hurt anyone."

"And of course you've never hurt anyone," Harry nodded.

"Right," Louis nodded. "So then this guy, the one who _wanted_ me to go to prison was saying that if I had stolen so much who was to say I wasn't going to do it again? Or who said I hadn't actually stolen more than what I was saying."

Harry scowled, "Maybe it's a good thing I _wasn't_ in there then. Now that I think about it, there's a good chance I would have spoken out for you..."

Louis patted Harry's thigh, "I was terrified, but I just kept in mind that if I could get out of the worst punishment then I would see you again soon, and that got me through. I didn't get charged with grand theft, because I would have _had_ to have a prison sentence. I think he called it felony theft... because the sentence depends on the value. And they decided to overlook the value of what I stole since I haven't kept any of it. Tina gets to keep all that money, and they're not even going to talk to her about it. I'm sure she knows though... she'll hear about it on the news."

"We'll go visit her sometime," Harry promised. "When you're off house arrest. If I go alone that might freak her out a bit. Especially if she knows I'm an agent."

"Good plan," Louis sighed.

Harry hummed, kissing Louis' temple, "So Shakira... there aren't any nurses around anymore..."

Louis grinned largely, "And I don't think my sisters will come out anytime soon... our mothers will be too engrossed in their tea and girl talk... so are we gonna..."

"We're definitely gonna," Harry nodded, turning Louis' head gently to face them and brushing their lips together. Louis, however, had no time for sweet kisses, and he instantly tangled his hands into Harry's hair and pressed their lips together firmer. Harry may or may not have been the first to add a little bit of tongue.

When Louis was breathing a bit too heavy for his ribs to handle, he pulled back, chuckling breathlessly, "I love you so much, Harry... and I really mean it."

"I love you, too, Louis," Harry murmured, kissing Louis' nose. "And I mean it more than I've ever meant anything else."

"You're coming back every day to visit?" Louis nodded, leaning against Harry once more and tucking his hand beneath Harry's leg.

"Every day, so much you'll get sick of me," Harry swore, wrapping an arm gently around Louis, barely placing his fingertips over Louis' hurt side.

Louis smiled, nuzzling his face against Harry and breathing in his smell, "Then I could definitely get used to this, Egghead."

"Me, too, Shakira," Harry could feel his heart swelling with happiness. He had his Robin Hood permanently, because like Louis had said, no one could ever catch Robin Hood. Except for Harry, maybe. Harry thought that maybe he had already caught him. "Me too."


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)

* * *

Louis always knew Harry had arrived before he even saw the young agent. The lad had grown accustomed to simply entering the house, he'd been doing it for four months, and each time Harry entered the house Louis' sisters would swarm the entryway. So when Louis was in his room and he heard Daisy and Phoebe crow out Harry's name, he was off his bed in an instant and speed-walking into the living room.

"You see me every day," Harry chuckled, and Louis' heart still fluttered a bit at the sound of his voice, at the sight of him. Harry was still dressed nicely from work, and in his hand, like at the beginning of every week, he held flowers. "I can't be that interesting..."

"Not everyone knows a federal agent," Daisy huffed. "Get with the program, Harry. You're interesting."

"Not everyone knows someone who's going into year 8," Harry attempted.

Phoebe simply patted Harry's arm, "I think most people do."

Louis, who had been waiting patiently in the archway into the hall lifted his eyebrows, "Girls. Can I have my federal agent now? Go find mum."

"Shakira," Harry's face lit up, and he ruffled the girls' hair with his free hand before he left their side to go to Louis'. "You shaved!"

"Egghead," Louis automatically pulled the taller man into a crushing hug, nuzzling his nose against Harry's neck. "You smell like gun oil?"

"Yeah," Harry's nose scrunched. "We only cleaned guns, today. We didn't have to gear up and go anywhere. It was pretty boring."

Jay's voice sounded from the hall and Louis looked unamused as he sighed, "Hold that thought, handsome. What, Mum?"

"Harry's here?" Jay emerged, most likely from the kitchen, out of the entryway and into the living room. "Hello, dear. How was work?"

Harry pulled gently from Louis' hug and slipped the man his flowers, smiling at Jay, "It was good! Boring, but good. I think the lads were wanting to come over for another one of your dinners...?"

"I invited them," Jay nodded. "They compliment my cooking, so it's always nice to have them around."

Louis reached out and patted Harry's tummy for no apparent reason, "Harry always compliments your cooking!"

"Yes, but Harry also comes here no matter what, I don't have to invite him," Jay chuckled.

Daisy and Phoebe, much to Louis' joy, had moved off to work on homework. Generally they were all about hanging out with Harry and Louis, and neither man had the heart to tell the girls to leave them alone for a bit. Louis seized Harry's hand then, grinning at his mother, "Well, Harry's mine, so I'm taking him with me now. See you at dinner."

The agent was dragged down the hall, chuckling at his boyfriend, "Babe, careful not to upset your ribs."

"They've been healed for like two months now," Louis scoffed. "I don't even feel the need to wrap them anymore."

He happily led Harry into his room, shutting the door behind them. It was small and a bit cluttered, but quaint. It still had a bit of Lottie's things in it, but Louis was slowly adding his own. He had his bed and his dresser and that was basically it, but the closet was slowly filling with clothes of Louis', as well as some of Harry's clothes for when he stayed the night, and the dresser was decorated with pictures of Louis and Harry, the stuffed Egghead and Frog-Face, and the flowers that Harry had brought him the week prior.

"I think you picked up since yesterday," Harry chuckled.

"I needed _something_ to do today other than shave," Louis kissed Harry's cheek. "Makes me a bit stir-crazy in here. House arrest is harder than it seems."

"You've only got two months left," Harry said in assurance.

The older lad replaced the flowers, humming to himself, and Harry flopped down onto Louis' bed and tucked his hands behind his head. Louis slipped from the room to throw out the dead flowers, but when he returned, he scowled at Harry, "Your shoes are on! Why are you on my bed with your shoes on?"

"Sorry Princess," Harry smirked, and Louis huffily pulled Harry's shoes from his feet before he clambered up over the baseboard of the bed and onto Harry. "Oh."

Louis snickered as he slithered up Harry's body, draping himself on top of the larger man and pressing a messy kiss to Harry's lips, "Don't let this fool you. You won't get a kiss every time you wear shoes on my bed, I just missed you. So."

"I see," Harry hummed, cupping Louis' cheeks. "Maybe I was trying not to gross you out with the smell of my feet."

"It's not just the smell of your feet that grosses me out, Egghead," Louis declared, but at Harry's look of defense he fondly kissed Harry's nose. "But I love you so much."

"You better," Harry mumbled with a pout.

"I do," Louis grinned, kissing Harry's cheek, and then his jaw, making his way down Harry's neck until he attached his lips to the base where Harry's throat met his collarbone. He nipped lightly, and Harry gave a hum of approval and tilted his head back a bit.

Louis wiggled down a bit then, feeling for Harry's hands to try and pin the bigger man down, ravishing Harry's neck with his mouth. Just when Louis thought he had distracted Harry enough to firmly trap him, Harry was seizing Louis in his grip and rolling with him. But like always, Harry held himself just above Louis' upper torso. Ever since Louis had been released from the hospital Harry treated him like he was the most fragile of things.

"Oh c'mon," Louis whined. "I had you pinned, you cheated."

"Sorry, Shakira," Harry chuckled, thumbing Louis' cheekbone. "You're tiny. Flipping positions is nothing."

Louis wrapped his limbs around Harry and attempted to roll, but Harry barely budged, smirking down at Louis. The older man went limp in defeat, scowling at Harry and turning his head when Harry leaned down to kiss him, "No, you're mean..."

"Are you five?" Harry cooed, nuzzling his nose against Louis' cheek.

"Yes."

And then Harry was rolling once more, gently pulling Louis with him so that Louis was draped across his chest again, "There you go."

"I wanted to do it," Louis huffed, still refusing to look at the younger man, but he rested his cheek against Harry's chest all the same, just above Harry's heart. "Are you having a heart attack? Your heart is going crazy. I expected you'd be in better shape, Agent."

"Nah, I'm fine," Harry chuckled, cheekily placing his hands on Louis' bum. "You make it do that."

Louis pushed himself up to give Harry a look of disbelief, "Nuh-uh, that is the cheesiest thing I have ever heard. I don't make your heart do that, sounds more like a blocked artery."

"It's almost been five months, you know," Harry declared. "Surely you know by now that I love you."

"You didn't say that you meant it," Louis poked Harry's nose gently, giving him a patient look as he waited.

Harry removed one hand from Louis' bum to grab Louis' hand, kissing his fingers, "I love you and I mean it, Shakira."

Louis planted a kiss to Harry's lips then, "I love you and I mean it, too, Egghead!"

"Good," Harry grinned, and then he cupped Louis' jaw to lengthen the kiss.

But like always in a house with three other younger siblings, there was a knock at the door, and Daisy called out, "Louis? Is it safe to come in there?"

Louis sighed, kissing Harry one last time as the agent chuckled, and then rested his head against Harry's shoulder, "Yeah Dais, come in."

The girl opened the door, slipping in and arching a brow at Harry and Louis' position, "I see enough of this stuff in the halls at school."

Louis frowned, "Well. That's awkward. We're only cuddling."

"Okay," she scoffed. "I'm not completely oblivious, you know. I can only hope you all don't do... _things_ with us in the house."

Harry and Louis both kept poker faces, because two months after Louis' ribs had healed, they had most definitely done "things". They just did it when the others were busy elsewhere, as the lock on Louis' door had a tendency to unlatch occasionally. Generally they stuck to hand jobs or blow jobs, or sometimes Louis could convince Harry that he'd be quiet enough for Harry to rim him, but they only had actual sex if Louis' family _wasn't_ in the house. Which was unfortunate, as there was usually at least one girl if the others had gone to the store or something. Yet, by some grace they had yet to be caught.

"Whatcha need, Daisy?" Louis sighed, rolling off of Harry so they both could sit up.

"Help with homework?" she asked hopefully. "English."

Harry grinned, leaning and patting the end of the bed, "Take a seat, love. I'll help you."

She smiled, "Harry, you're probably my new favourite."

The agent chuckled, and Louis moved to plop himself down between Harry's legs. He'd help Daisy with her homework, too, of course, he just wanted to assure that he was getting _some_ of Harry's attention. He was a bit greedy like that. With their assistance, Daisy was finishing up her homework in no time, which of course made Phoebe rush in for help as well.

Louis figured Felicite was at a friend’s, but she was never one to bother them much anyway. She was at the age that she liked privacy just as much as Louis did. By the time they had finished helping the twins with homework, Jay was calling out to them.

"Louis, Harry, your friends are here!"

Harry kissed Louis' cheek and patted his thigh, "Niall and Zayn, I'll-"

But the two girls were already gathering up their school things in a rush and hurrying from the room to go meet the other two agents. Louis knew for a fact that Daisy had a crush on Niall and that Phoebe had a crush on Zayn. Louis chuckled, "I think they've got it."

Louis climbed out of Harry's lap and off the bed anyway, heading towards the hall. Just as he reached the doorway, however, arms were around his waist and lips were at his neck, making him squirm and giggle as Harry breathed, "And I've got you."

"Down boy," Louis laughed. "We have dinner to eat."

"I suppose," Harry sighed.

Louis turned in his arms, lightly kissing his cheek, "Will you stay the night, though?"

Harry nodded, "I can. I didn't get to Saturday since I had dinner with Gemma."

"She should have come here for dinner," Louis told him. "I like her. She makes fun of you with me. I think she's the only one I'll allow to do that."

Harry chuckled, "She likes you, too. Probably too much. So maybe she shouldn't come here for dinner, she makes me jealous."

Louis rolled his eyes, taking Harry's hand and dragging him down the hall, "I'm very much gay, Egghead, you don't have to worry about your sister of all people stealing me away."

"I thought we were done with stealing?" Zayn's voice asked, and then the two rounded the hall into the living room to find Zayn and Niall seated on the couch with Daisy and Phoebe sandwiched between them.

"It's Gemma, this time," Harry sighed, and Jay walked into the room.

"Anne was telling me about her when I called earlier!" Jay chuckled. "She was saying how she knows Gemma makes you jealous and strives to do so."

Ever since they'd met, Anne and Jay had basically became best friends and called one another about everything. Not that Harry and Louis were complaining, it wasn't a usual thing for both sides of the families to get along. They considered it a sign that they were definitely meant to be.

"Poor Egghead," Louis sighed, patting Harry's back. "You know that I love you."

Jay waved her hands at the others, "Well, dinner is almost ready so come have a seat at the table."

Niall, like always, was the first up, "I've been ready for your food all day, Jay. Best cook ever, I swear."

"You flatter me, Niall," Jay laughed as they all made their way to the kitchen.

Like always, Louis and Harry sat next to each other, Felicite sat on the other side of Louis next to Jay, Daisy sat between Jay and Niall, and Zayn sat next to Niall and Phoebe, who sat next to Harry. Harry also kept his tradition of helping Jay set the table, and Louis knew that when everyone was done eating he'd help with the dishes as well.

When everyone was finally sitting down and eating, Louis hooked his leg around Harry's and looked to the other two agents, "So... anything interesting at work? Or in general. Give me some news, I'm going crazy shut up in here."

"Niall and I are together," Zayn replied, and Harry spluttered a bit on his drink.

"You _what?!_ "

"Kidding!" Zayn cackled, and Niall and him high-fived. "I'm straight as hell, man, I don't know about Niall."

"Same," Niall declared.

Jay shook her head, "Oh dear."

"I will kill both of you if you scare me like that again," Harry swore. "I wouldn't have a problem with it, I mean... it is against bureau rules but I'm not one to preach about that."

Harry lifted his and Louis' entwined hands up from beneath the table, and Louis chuckled, "I think you just startled him is all. Warn him if you ever consider getting together."

"No way," Zayn shook his head. "He deserved that. He did exactly the same thing to me with you."

Niall rolled his eyes, "Zayn is just weak. Anyway, Lou... two months left, right?"

"Yeah," Louis sighed. "Agent Murs visits tomorrow to make sure I'm still like... following the rules."

Zayn grinned, "Good thing he's your parole officer... or agent, I suppose. He's pretty laid back. Plus he likes Harry, so-"

"He what?" Louis asked flatly.

Harry laughed, shaking his head, "No, no like... we're friends. He doesn't like-like me."

"You two get jealous way too easy," Phoebe declared.

Louis simply scooted a bit closer to Harry as the conversation continued. After dinner, Harry helped Jay wash the dishes while Niall and Zayn went to play cards in the living room with the girls. Louis stayed in the kitchen to talk to his mum and boyfriend.

"Dear," Jay said to Louis as she passed Harry a plate to dry. "I think you've found yourself a keeper."

Louis scoffed, "Mum. I've known that since I was hospitalized. You're the one that was skeptical."

Harry simply blushed as he dried the plate, and Louis stood to put away what Harry dried. Once they finished the dishes, they joined in on the card game in the living room until Jay finally declared, "Alright girls. I know I don't set a bedtime, but it's getting late. You should at least get ready for bed and be in bed."

Felicite had already headed for the shower, and Daisy and Phoebe reluctantly said goodnight to everyone. As they shuffled from the room, Niall chuckled, "I should probably get out of here as well. Dinner was wonderful as always Jay."

"I agree," Zayn nodded.

"You boys are wonderful," Jay declared, but then she looked to Harry. "I'm guessing you're staying a bit longer, dear?"

"Staying the night," Louis corrected.

Jay nodded, but she eyed them skeptically, "Keep it down..."

"We aren't going to do anything, mother," Louis huffed. "But if you're giving us _permission_ -"

"I don't want to know anything," she held her hands up. "I can't tell you what to do and what not to do, but that doesn't mean I have to know. I learned more than I wanted to when you were all loopy with painkillers."

Harry laughed, "I'm exhausted, Jay, so I'll probably be passing right out. No loud talking or laughing."

"Yeah, because that's what she means," Niall snickered.

"Get out of here," Harry huffed, and Zayn and Niall said goodbye once more as they grabbed their coats and headed out the door.

Louis grabbed Harry's hand then, grinning at his mother, "We're going to go lay down while Harry waits on the shower... that is, assuming he wants to take one."

"You know me well," Harry chuckled.

"Goodnight, boys," she replied. "Love you."

"Love you, too," they replied, and then Louis was leading Harry down the hallway and back to his room.

As he turned around, he was almost instantly pouting, "Are we really not going to do anything?"

Harry chuckled, "I can get you off if you want, but I'm so exhausted and it'll only make me sleepier if we're both active participants."

Louis sighed, but he nodded, "And you do need to sleep... soon, too. So hopefully the girls are out of the shower soon. Well, I guess you _could_ use the shower in my mum's room. Since Dan has been working double shifts lately, he's been over here in the early mornings only, so my mum stays up kind of late and reads in the living room. I'll ask her if you can shower in there."

"As long as it's not a bother..." Harry frowned, but Louis was already slipping from the room. He returned only moments later, nodding his head.

"Towels are under the sink in there, babe. You're good to shower."

Louis snagged his and Harry's toothbrushes and toothpaste from the bathroom when the other bathroom was free, and he slipped back to his mum's bathroom so he could slip in through the door without a lock and brush his teeth.

"You nearly scared me to death," Harry chuckled, looking out at Louis from behind the shower curtain. He had soap in his hair and one eye was closed.

"Sorry, love," Louis chuckled. "You're just the only one willing to share the bathroom with me."

Louis finished brushing his teeth before Harry was done, but he perched himself on the sink and waited for the younger man. Harry climbed out and wrapped a towel around his waist, walking over to stand between Louis' legs so he could kiss him, "Mmm. Minty."

"Now we definitely can't do anything of any real fun," Louis sighed. "Or I guess I could just brush my teeth again..."

"We'll definitely have to do something tomorrow," Harry promised. "I think I heard your mum mention something about grocery shopping, and Felicite is going over to a friends... so you know what that means?"

"Home alone!" Louis crowed. "I'm excited, now."

Harry chuckled, "You're too cute."

He brushed his teeth while Louis took a quick pee break, and then Louis washed his hands while Harry dressed himself in the pajamas he'd grabbed. The shirt would most likely come off once they got back to Louis' room, however.

The two snuck back through the dark hall, surprised to see that all the girls had finished showering. Jay was still in the living room, but she didn't look up as they passed. Harry collapsed on Louis' bed, nuzzling his face into the pillow sleepily as Louis turned off the light and turned on his small fan in the corner of the room since he had his personal space heater to sleep with and he knew he'd get hot.

"Shirt off," Louis whined, crawling onto the bed with Harry and tugging at the loose cotton of the t-shirt.

"Okay, okay," Harry chuckled, sitting up and pulling his shirt over his head. "I sometimes forget that you're the oldest."

Louis simply flopped against Harry's chest, snuggling close as Harry laid them both down. It was just like how it was back at Harry's house, with Louis against Harry's chest with his feet tucked between Harry's legs. His fingers idly brushed over the scar on Harry's arm from where he was shot, and in return Harry touched the raised skin on Louis' ribs.

"I love you," Louis told him quietly, which is what he generally said whenever he thought of how much Harry's line of work frightened him. He never wanted to lose Harry because of it, and by trying to tell Harry just how much he meant to him, Louis hoped Harry would keep himself safe.

"I love you, too," Harry responded, kissing Louis' hair.

"Stay with me forever," Louis requested.

"Deal," Harry agreed, and then he chuckled. "Whenever, Wherever. Remember?"

"Yes," Louis cuddled impossibly closer. "As soon as I'm allowed to leave my house, you'll never be able to get rid of me."

"Course not!" Harry grinned. "Because I'm taking you with me then. You're living with me!"

"And in case I'm still asleep when you leave tomorrow," Louis explained. "Be _safe_ please. At work, I mean."

"Always, baby."

Louis slipped his arm around Harry's middle, not even trying to protest about being about being older and clinging on to the man instead, "Good. Okay. We can sleep now."

"Don't worry, love," Harry hummed. "You can't get rid of me either."

"Wouldn't even consider trying," Louis promised.

Harry wrapped an arm around Louis as well, soothingly rubbing his back even though Louis could tell Harry was already falling asleep, "Goodnight, Shakira. I love you."

Louis pressed a kiss to Harry's collarbone, "I love you, too, Egghead. Goodnight."

When Harry got up for work the next morning, he tucked Louis gently back under the covers, kissed his forehead, and wrote him a note just like he always did.

_Dear Shakira,_ _  
_You're still cute when you sleep that it pains me to leave you. I turned off your fan as well because it's the middle of winter and I still worry about you getting cold. I don't care if you are twenty-four... scratch that, twenty-five (cut me some slack, it only just happened last month and it's hard to adjust to), I have to take care of you because you're my baby. Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm probably your baby too. Anyway, I'll be staying the night again tonight, and I'll call you on my lunch break. Tonight at dinner we should discuss moving you into my house with your mother... it is only two months away after all. Alright. Well, I think Phoebe is out of the bathroom now and I need to brush my teeth. I kissed you, morning breath and all. I didn't think you'd mind. I love you so much, and I mean it._   
_Love_   
_Egghead_ _


	33. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis Tomlinson is a thief, and a damn good one at that. Most have heard of him. Most don't understand him. And Harry Styles is the FBI agent who can never seem to catch him.  
> (I'm American, therefore there's extreme inaccuracies related to the FBI here: England doesn't have one. But in this fic they do. It's fiction and I'll do as I please. Because I'm American and know nothing of a London type layout, there's going to be more than one inaccuracy.)

* * *

"How did you get all these new things if you've been on house arrest?" Harry panted, lugging a box down the walkway of the Tomlinson house as Louis trailed behind him with another.

"You bought them for me."

"Damn," Harry nodded, placing it down in the back of his Range Rover before turning and reaching for Louis' box. "You're right."

The smaller man beamed at his boyfriend as he passed him the box, "And now I can get even more things since I'm not trapped in my house!"

"Your mother's house," Harry corrected, stacking the box on the previous one before spinning to seize Louis by the hips so he could drag him closer. "You've got a house with me now."

However, Jay rounded the Range Rover shaking her head, "Uh-uh. You may get to steal him from me Styles but he can still call this his house. He's welcome here anytime he wants."

Louis rolled his eyes, but Harry, always the polite one, nodded instantly, "Right, Jay. Sorry... I'm just pretty excited to have him moving in with me. Thank you for letting him."

"Unfortunately I can't make his decisions," she sighed sadly, and Harry reached to take the two small boxes she had. "My baby boy is an adult..."

"Your 'baby boy' is twenty-five," Louis declared, giving Harry a nonchalant swat on the bum before he headed back towards the house to get more boxes. He expected Harry to follow him and reciprocate with a pinch to Louis' own bum, but the man was too busy trying to win back Jay's approval.

Felicite was standing in the living room when Louis went to grab another box, and he arched a brow at her, "Fizz, whatcha doin?"

"You're leaving again," she sighed. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around it I guess."

"Aw, c'mon," Louis insisted, walking to her side and pulling her into a tight hug. "You're going to UNI in a few months with Lotts, whereas I'll only be like twenty minutes away from here. Isn't it _you_ that's leaving me?"

"You aren't helping, Louis," she sniffled, hugging Louis back just as tight.

"We can Skype!" Louis promised. "We Skyped with Lottie so many times, yeah? Then again I'm pretty sure she was more interested in seeing Harry than me that little-"

Felicte pulled back and giggled a bit, "She _is_ a little obsessed with him... I don't blame her though."

"Not you too!" Louis gasped. "No, go back to being slightly afraid of him he's mine, too young for you, nope!"

She laughed, simply hugging Louis tighter, "I _will_ miss you though. These six months weren't enough."

Louis' brow furrowed, and he rested his head on Felicite's, "Do you want me to cry? I'm not going away _that_ far. Okay, you can literally call me at like 3am if you're homesick or if you want to talk about politics-"

"Thanks," she chuckled. "That... I think that might help a little."

"I know. A good talk about the Queen always calms me down."

"You're so weird."

They continued the hug a few moments, but then there was a sudden clatter from the entryway, and Harry's voice exclaimed, "Oh! Should I-"

"No Egghead, it's fine," Louis laughed, and Felicte squeezed him tight one last time before letting him go.

"I'm gonna go try and find the twins. I know they're hiding to get out of moving stuff," Felicite announced, smiling shyly at Harry as she walked past him and into the kitchen so she could head out the backdoor.

Harry flashed her a dimpled smile as well before he turned his attention back to Louis, his mouth pressing into an unamused line as he arched a brow, "You smacked. My ass."

"Wasn't the first time, won't be the last," Louis declared happily, scooping up a box to carry out. He stopped in front of Harry on the way out, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Harry's frowning mouth. "Smile, Egghead?"

Harry couldn't _not_ smile with Louis beaming at him the way he was, so he simply grinned and tugged on a strand of Louis' hair. In all honesty it was growing quite long, but Harry loved it. Even his own hair was a bit longer than he normally allowed it to be for occupational reasons. It was a pain to manage when it was sweaty from his balaclava... or from heated moments, tangled even further from Louis' fingers. He picked up a box as well, heading out after his boyfriend to where the man was waiting for Jay to organize the rest of the boxes.

"It's like playing Tetris," Jay huffed, trying to squeeze a box into a tight fit between two other boxes.

"You'd think we were moving another house into mine," Harry laughed. "Shakira's got so many things."

"Just a lot of clothes and knick-knacks and stuff," Louis pouted. "And we've only got two boxes left anyway. I'll get them right now."

"Those are big boxes, babe-" Harry tried to object, but Louis was already flaunting off in the way that Harry loved, his hips swinging. "Such a drama queen."

"That's Louis," Jay hummed. "You're sure you want him living with you? Maybe he should just keep living here with me."

"It's something I've wanted for so long," Harry nodded, giving a happy sigh. "I'm just glad he's not sick of me."

Jay scoffed, "He is head over heels for you. You become the point of every conversation. Harry this, Harry that, my Egghead. 'I need new shampoo' I'll say, 'Harry always smells so good', he'll say. You get the picture. Anything you say to him he can relate to you."

Harry blushed, "Really?"

"Really. Seven months and he's still smitten."

At that moment, Louis came stumbling back out of the house with two large boxes. He was barely peeking over the top, and Harry instantly scrambled to his aid, "Babe, careful- don't hurt yourself."

Louis was already protesting before Harry was near him, "I've got it, I've got it! I'm not a weakling."

"I know, love, I was just-"

Harry trailed off and let Louis walk past, but then he sneakily followed close behind Louis with arms outstretched, prepared to catch Louis if he were to trip. But of course, Louis noticed as he reached the Range Rover and set the boxes down on the ground, "How were you planning on catching a box if you were behind me?"

"I wasn't going to catch the boxes, just you," Harry chuckled, picking up the boxes to slip into the back.

"But I'm pretty sure that top box has picture frames in it!" Louis frowned. "I totally had it so the point is moot, but you were just going to let the frames shatter?"

Harry shrugged as he managed to push the box into the back, "Eh, frames are replaceable. But my _Shakira..."_

Harry booped Louis' nose, and Louis was clearly fighting back a grin, "Well."

When they had managed to fit the final box into the vehicle, Louis excitedly launched himself into Harry's arms. Harry kissed the top of his head, "Nice work, if I do say so myself."

"I am so excited, oh my God," Louis gushed. "I get to live with you, _finally_ , it'll be just like seven months ago when I would make us eggs in toast and you'd read to me and-"

Jay made a sad sound, and Louis quickly turned around to soothe her. Harry used that as the time to close the back of the Range Rover, shuffling his feet a bit as he attempted to give the mother and son their privacy.

"I'm almost afraid to come help you move the stuff into Harry's," Jay said sadly. "I might be tempted to start loading everything back up into my car to take you back home with me."

Louis groaned, "Mum... you should have expected this. We're still going to visit you."

Harry's phone buzzed with a text in his pocket, and he pulled it out and glanced at it before replying, "Ah, the lads are at the house to help us move the boxes in. It'll be so much easier with them. But we should hurry before Niall gets impatient and makes his way into the kitchen. I'll um... you two actually take your time, I'll wait in the car."

But Louis smiled at his mum, "We don't have to say goodbye you know, I'm coming back! Let's just go. Go gather the girls, we'll wait for you to follow."

Jay sighed dramatically, but she headed off to the house. Louis scrambled in relief for the passenger side of Harry's vehicle, climbing in and pretending to shut his head in the car door.

"She's just being a mother," Harry laughed. "My mum was the same way when I moved out. Maybe even a bit worse since Gem had already moved out and I was leaving her with an empty nest."

Louis chuckled in sympathy, reaching over to place a hand on Harry's thigh, "You poor, poor baby. Facing a clingy mother is the absolute worst. But on the bright side, my mum isn't harassing you! I was afraid she was going to be a bit harsher today."

Harry twisted to ensure that he could see out his back window with Louis' boxes, but then he turned and leaned across the center console in hopes that Louis would kiss him, "I hope we're past that... I think I won her over long ago, but you never know."

The smaller man accommodated Harry's wishes, pressing their lips together in a quick kiss, but then he could see his family getting into their car, and he squeezed Harry's thigh with the hand that still rested on it, "Hopefully. And it looks like we're good to go! I just wish we could be there, unpacked, and all by ourselves already. It's going to take forever to get rid of everyone..."

"I know," Harry sighed. "I may or may not have invited them all over for dinner? Including my mum and Gem."

Louis groaned, "So my mother is going to stay even _longer_. I love our families and friends, honestly I do, but I'm stingy and I just want time alone with you."

"Would it be better if I had sucked your dick this morning like I know you wanted?" Harry chuckled, starting the vehicle as Jay started hers. Louis simply grunted in response, which Harry knew was Louis' way of saying yes, he was just too proud to verbally admit it. He smirked, pulling away from where he was parked and glancing in the rear view mirror to make sure Jay was following. "We'll get to it all in good time. Once everyone leaves, I can do more than just-"

Louis instantly sat up straighter, "Best we don't talk about that until you can actually take care of what you cause."

The man had removed his hand from Harry's thigh, so Harry placed his hand palm up on the center console as an invitation for Louis to link their fingers together. Louis ignored him for a bit, clearly trying to seem irritated, but he could never stay mad at Harry for long, so he took Harry's hand in his own.

When they finally reached the house, Niall and Zayn were sitting just outside the front door, and Harry watched as Daisy and Phoebe hurried from the car towards the two agents. Harry looked to Louis, smiling at him, "Welcome home, babe."

Louis' eyes widened, and he quickly snatched his hand away, shaking his head rapidly with his hands over his face, "No, don't do that to me! Don't make me cry."

"I'm feeling pretty emotional, too," Harry laughed. "We'll cry together later. Or have sex. Probably the sex."

He pressed the button to unlock the rear door of the Range Rover, and then he climbed from the vehicle and headed around to open Louis' door for him. Louis pursed his lips, staring at the grass a few feet away from the drive, "Hey, the _last_ time I was here-"

"Nope," Harry declared, shutting Louis' door once more and dragging the man to the back of the vehicle. "We aren't even going to talk about that."

Harry lifted the back open, examining the pile of boxes inside, and then was surprised when Louis' mum, sisters, and Niall and Zayn were instantly coming up behind them with their arms outstretched. Louis grinned, "Helpful..."

The curly haired agent quickly dug in his pocket to grab his keys, offering them out to Daisy and Phoebe, "One of you, would you like the honor of unlocking the front door?"

Daisy was the first to snatch the keys up, poking her tongue out at Phoebe before flouncing away. Louis picked up the smallest box possible, smiling smugly to himself as he stepped aside to let the others grab a box. Zayn and Niall instantly fought each other to grab the biggest boxes possible, and Harry nonchalantly stepped back to let them. Phoebe, Felicite and Jay each grabbed a box, and then Harry grabbed a medium sized box as well. Examining the back, he figured it would only take about one more trip to get everything if everyone helped out again.

He followed the others towards the house, Louis in front of him, when a sudden thought struck him. Hurrying forward, he caught Louis by the waist before they reached the short steps up to Harry's door.

"Harry, what-"

The taller man placed his box on top of Louis' small box, ignoring the look of annoyance that crossed Louis' face, and just as Louis was about to protest, he scooped him up bridal style, "I'm carrying you over the threshold!"

Louis' brow furrowed, "I am not a woman, I have feet, and we haven't gotten married..."

"Well I'll carry you over the threshold when we do that, too," Harry told him, and Louis froze in his arms with wide eyes.

 _When we do that, too_. It wasn't like Louis hadn't thought about marrying Harry, he was just stunned to hear it come from Harry so nonchalantly, like it was obvious that Harry had plans on marrying him. Louis loved it. So instead of protesting further, he simply tightened his grip on the boxes on his chest and declared, "Onward then, steed."

Harry smiled widely then, climbing carefully up the steps and slipping through the front door, sidling only slightly to the side so that he wouldn't smack Louis' feet against the doorframe. Jay arched a brow at them, "You two better not have..."

"Nah," Harry assured. "You'll know when the wedding is, pinky promise."

Louis couldn't fight the blush then, feeling extremely flustered at the talk of a wedding for some reason. The thought of Harry being his forever was maddeningly overwhelming, he wanted it so badly. He quickly set the boxes down, "Let's get more boxes, yeah? I'm going to get more boxes."

He scurried from the house, and all but Daisy and Phoebe, who held back to unpack, which actually just gave them an excuse to snoop around the house, headed back out to get the remaining boxes from the vehicle. They all grabbed as many as they could, and Harry triumphantly closed the rear door as they headed back inside to unpack.

Harry told Louis he had a free range over where he wanted to put his stuff, kissing Louis' cheek, "What's mine is yours. Go crazy."

Yet most of what Louis had was either clothes or things that involved Harry. They put pictures on the entertainment center, on the shelf in the living room, on the wall in the hallway, and on Harry's dresser. Harry pushed all of his clothes in the closet aside for Louis to hang up his stuff as well, and crammed clothes into drawers to open two drawers up for Louis. The bottom two were for Louis, the two above that for Harry, and they shared the top.

Louis placed his pillow on the side of the bed that he always slept on, but he knew he would end up more on Harry's side of the mattress.

"For someone so small, how do you always manage to wiggle onto my side and take up the most room?" Harry always asked him when he would wake up half off the bed. Louis would usually be draped horizontally across the mattress with his head on Harry's chest.

The older boy would simply nuzzle closer, "For someone so large, why do you _let_ me take up so much room?"

And Harry never would answer after that, he'd simply run his fingers through Louis' hair or adjust himself to accommodate Louis' position.

Daisy and Phoebe poked their heads into the bedroom where Louis was hanging things up in the closet, and Daisy lifted a brow, "There's only one bedroom here."

"Yes..." Louis said slowly.

Phoebe snickered, and Daisy crossed her arms, "Mum would never let me share a bed with a boyfriend."

"You're thirteen," Louis scoffed. "You don't even need a boyfriend."

"We're going to be in year 8 Lou," Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Get with the program."

Harry walked up behind them, "Yeah, Louis. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that thirteen year old girls should not have boyfriends!" Louis declared.

"Oh," Harry instantly nodded in agreement, patting the twins on their heads. "Boys are gross, wait until you're twenty."

The twins simply shook their heads and shot each other looks before they sassily left the room once more. Harry moved to help Louis put the contents of the box on hangers to put in the closet, and Louis chuckled, "I'm guessing you've got all my bathroom products unpacked?"

"Yep," Harry nodded. "Figured one of us should do it instead of someone else since there's a giant box of condoms underneath the sink that I just bought the other day."

"Wishful thinking?" Louis asked cheekily, and Harry reached around him from where he was hanging up a shirt, pinching his nipple lightly. It earned him a squawk of protest and a flailing Louis who slapped Harry's hands away.

"I can take them and get my money back, I suppose..."

Louis shook his head then, "That won't be necessary. We can have water balloon fights with them."

"Oh yes," Harry agreed, laughing as he went back to putting clothes on hangers. "Those would be some fun water balloons. It was a combo pack, so there's not only just regular ones, but there's strawberry flavored, there's the ribbed kind... _oh_ and there's this kind with some sort of lubricant. Fire and ice or something like that. Those could make for some fun water balloons."

"Can we play with water balloons tonight?" Louis swallowed hard. "Like... all of them?"

"All in good time," Harry snickered, earning a glare from Louis.

"You do these things on purpose."

Harry simply shrugged, slipping the last shirt onto the hanger, "Don't play hard to get, Shakira. I really will try hard to get you."

Anne and Gemma arrived just as they were finishing up with unpacking, and it was already almost 4pm at that time. Zayn, Niall, and Louis' sisters had headed out to kick a football around, Jay was organizing the kitchen, and Harry and Louis led Anne and Gemma into the kitchen as well so Harry could start on dinner.

"Oh!" Jay exclaimed as Anne and Gemma walked in. "Hello, dears!"

The five outside came in as well, as Zayn and Niall both had crushes on Gemma, and Louis' sisters absolutely adored her.

"Hello, Jay!" Anne smiled. "How have you been holding up today?"

The two mothers then walked into the living room to most likely exchange stories of how their children loved leaving them, and Gemma nudged Louis with her elbow, "So. You're all moved in then, Tommo?"

"That I am, Gemster," Louis grinned widely. "I'm here to get on your brother's nerves _all_ the time now."

Harry simply slipped his arm around Louis' waist and smiled, "Eh, I don't think I'll mind too much."

Zayn slipped out for a smoke, and Niall followed so he didn't have to be surrounded by girls and the infatuated couple. Louis sat at the kitchen table with Gemma and his sisters as Harry got out chicken to slice for fajitas. For a bit, Gemma did one of her favourite things and told Louis as many embarrassing stories about Harry when he was a child as she could. Harry simply smiled and listened to Louis' laughter, which was one of _his_ favourite things to do.

"But Louis, you're pretty hysterical yourself _and_ you're handsome," Gemma chuckled. "Why on earth do you love my dorky brother? I know he seems pretty cool behind the agent look and act, but you know him now. I'm totally a better candidate."

Slight jealousy flooded Harry then, and he scowled as he chopped his onions and peppers a bit more savagely.

"Aw, no," Louis simply cooed, and then he was carefully but startlingly hugging Harry from behind. Harry hadn't even heard Louis get up, but Louis had made sure to grab Harry's elbow gently to keep him from accidentally cutting his fingers. "I love my Egghead because he's my Egghead. I couldn't ever love anyone else. I can get pretty dorky myself, we're just kind of meant for one another."

"He's not lying," Felicite spoke up, and then it was her turn to share stories about Louis.

Louis stood on his tiptoes to kiss Harry's temple, "I've got you, babe. Need any help with dinner?"

"Would you like to make the rice?" Harry smiled at him, grateful that Louis always seemed to know when he needed reassurance.

"I can do that," Louis nodded. "... I love you and I mean it."

"I love _you_ , and I mean it."

Eventually their mothers came back into the kitchen to try and help them since they considered it their duty as mothers. Harry allowed Jay and Anne to make the guacamole since he could never seem to get the flavor right himself, and Louis began to chop up the lettuce, dice the onion, and grate the cheese. Like usual, Louis managed to burn his finger on the stove that he wasn't even using, and Harry sighed as he kissed the finger and retrieved Louis an ice pack, sitting the smaller man down at the kitchen table.

When the fajitas were finally done, everyone piled into Harry's, and now Louis', small kitchen to make their plates and glasses. They all ate in the living room, joking with Harry and Louis about how they'd probably be at each other's throats within three months or less. The two simply exchanged a kiss and shrugged at their family and friends. They talked on long after dinner had ended, until finally Zayn was the first to declare his departure.

"Well, I ought to get going. We've got work in the morning."

Harry nodded, "Unfortunately, yeah, we do. Lou's got community service as well. I'm dropping him off tomorrow at city hall, they're busing him to pick up trash I think..."

"From 7am to 4pm, community service every week day," Louis nodded. "And yep, I start out picking up trash. I think I might eventually be moved to serving food at a homeless shelter or cleaning out cages at an animal clinic. I'm not complaining, though. I've got to make up for what I stole..."

"Eh," Gemma waved a hand. "They can get over it. They don't need jewellery anyway. What you did was fine."

"Yeah, Robin Hood," Harry kissed Louis' cheek.

"Maybe they'll get so tired of Louis sassing them that they'll just let him off the hook," Niall suggested.

"I don't think I'm going to be 'sassing' them," Louis scoffed. "I'll probably just try to do as I'm told and blend in with everyone else. I have to wear a really ugly outfit that Agent Murs gave me, so it shouldn't be too hard."

But then Niall and Zayn were saying goodbye and heading out, telling Harry they'd see him in the morning. Anne and Gemma gave Harry, Louis, and Louis' family hugs before they left as well, and Louis' family was the last to leave. They clung on to Louis a bit longer, sniffling a tad.

"Guys," Louis said soothingly. "Really... mum put me on the same phone plan as you, just call me up whenever. Plus we only live like twenty some minutes away. I'm not leaving forever."

"We'll visit," Harry promised. " _All_ the time. It'll be just like Louis is living there still."

"Six months of seeing him every day back to not seeing him," Jay wiped at her eyes. "It's just going to be hard... my baby boy has moved out."

"It'll be fine," Louis assured, hugging his mother tightly one last time. At that point, he was ready for them to just get out already. He loved them, but he was _minutes_ away from being alone with Harry. "I'll walk you to your car."

"You're welcome home any time you want," Jay continued as Louis and Harry walked them out.

Harry waved to the girls as they climbed into the car, and Jay hugged Louis one last time, holding on tightly as if she weren't going to let go. Louis crossed his eyes at Harry over her shoulder, and Harry fought a giggle. Finally, much to Louis' relief, Jay released him and kissed his cheek.

"I'll see you later, mum," Louis said insistently.

"Okay..." she whispered. "Call me tomorrow when you're done with community service, okay? And don't stay up too late... eat a good breakfast... make sure to-"

"Harry's going to take care of me, mum," Louis told her, backing up and slipping an arm around Harry's waist. "Well, we're going to take care of each other, rather."

Harry nodded in agreement, and Jay gradually slipped into the car. Louis blew them kisses as they turned around in the road and drove off. And then Louis was breathing a massive sigh of relief, and Harry laughed, "Did you think they were going to move in?"

"Fucking _finally_!" Louis crowed, grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him back into the house. "You're mine, Styles, all mine!"

"I wasn't aware your claim on me had been different before?" Harry arched a brow.

"You know what I mean, Egghead," Louis huffed. "We're all alone! With nobody else... do you know what we can do?"

"Wash the dishes," Harry replied, and then he groaned. "So many dishes."

Louis gaped at him in disbelief before wailing, "Harry! We can just do those later, let's-"

Harry simply placed a hand on the small of Louis' back and guided him into the kitchen, "Babe, in all honesty we have so much else to do later! We need to find you a car since you get off two hours before me and I hate that you have to catch a cab, they're assholes when they have to come all the way out here, we need to go pay a visit to Tina and the kids, we need to-"

"And we've got ages to do that!" Louis whined, pouting as Harry began running warm water for the dishes piled on the cabinet. "I can't have an actual job for five years unless it's just a weekend job, so-"

"Which I refuse to let you get because then I'll literally never see you," Harry declared. "I can manage us both on my salary. It's not the best, but it's well enough for the both of us."

"I do want to visit Tina and the kids, though..." Louis said slowly. "This Sunday? Does that sound like a good day?"

"Sure, babe," Harry agreed. "Whenever you want."

Like always, Harry washed and Louis dried, and Louis decided that instead of pouting he was going to serenade Harry with some Shakira songs. Harry figured his favourite cover of Louis' would always be Hips Don't Lie. It just seemed very... Louis-ish. When they had finished the dishes, Louis beamed at Harry happily.

"So... now we can play with those different types of 'water balloons'? I'm very interested to see if the strawberry ones actually taste like strawberry."

"I need to put the dishes away," Harry kissed Louis' nose, and Louis simply sulked from the room.

"I have to pee anyway."

Harry chuckled at his boyfriend, putting away the plates, cups, and silverware. He eventually heard the toilet flush, the sink run, and the squeak of the bathroom door, but Louis didn't return like he had expected. The smaller man was always one to move quietly, had never seemed to lose that trait even after he stopped thieving, but his smaller hands didn't come slip around Harry's waist or cheekily grabbed his bum like Harry was expecting.

The agent wiped down the counter and tossed the dishrag into the sink, flipping off the kitchen light as he left. He stopped to admire the living room, however, liking it _much_ more with some of Louis' things in it. He'd been waiting for this day for ages, and now he finally had his Robin Hood, his Louis, living with him. He locked the front door and checked to make sure his holster and badge were hanging on the peg for in the morning, and then he headed down the hall to where he figured Louis was.

It was already 9:30pm, and when Harry slipped into their room and flipped on the light, his eyebrows rose at the Louis shaped lump under the blankets.

"Babe?" he asked softly, walking forward and sliding onto the bed next to the lump. He patted it gently, frowning at the squishy texture, and then pulled the comforter back to find multiple pillows instead of Louis. "Lou-"

And then he was being pounced on, his face seized as lips assaulted his own. He gave an oomph of surprise, his hands flying up in reaction to hold Louis' hips.

"Gotcha, Agent."

"What on earth are you doing," Harry laughed, and then his smile faded as he bit his lip, his eyes taking Louis in.

Louis had stripped down to boxers, smirking knowingly at Harry from where he straddled the younger man's lap, "Like what you see?"

"I think you look a little chilly," Harry swallowed hard. "What happened to your clothes?"

The older man shrugged, "I don't need clothes for what I'm going to do to you."

He ducked his head then, attaching his mouth to Harry's neck. Harry's breath hitched, and he tilted his head back to give Louis what he wanted. Louis made a pleased sound at that, pulling back after giving Harry a pleasurable, stinging nip, and he tugged Harry's shirt over his head.

At that point, Louis could feel Harry's dick starting to harden against his bum, so he wiggled a bit on top of him just to be a tease. Harry's hands slid down from Louis' waist to grab Louis' ass, kneading it in his hands, "This is precious territory, right here."

Louis seized Harry's wrists then, pulling the younger man's hands away from his bum, "Hey now, since when does that belong to you?"

"I thought we had a time share?"

Louis gave a surprised laugh at that, "Well, it's not yours right now, so-"

And Harry had apparently had enough of Louis' teasing ways, as he flipped them over just like he always did if Louis was perched on top of him, gently pressing Louis down against the pillows of the bed, "I bet I can change your mind about that. What's mine is yours, so what's yours is mine I should hope, yes?"

"It might take some convincing," Louis mumbled a little breathlessly, but Harry could see on his suddenly flushed face and could feel through Louis' thin boxers that Louis was definitely interested. In mere minutes, he knew he'd have Louis in the palm of his hand. Maybe literally.

Harry grinned, leaning and brushing their lips together, using Louis being shirtless to his advantage and kissing down Louis' jawline, down his neck, down his chest, "So. Perfect."

Louis watched Harry carefully, his hands stroking at Harry's hair, and Harry turned his attention to the scarring on Louis' right side. Harry gently brushed his fingertips down Louis' ribs there, kissing the raised skin softly. Louis' face had softened, and Harry could feel that Louis had relaxed beneath him, so he brushed his lips back across Louis' chest, leaving a trail of goosebumps before he kissed just above Louis' heart. And then he moved a bit to the side and sucked Louis' nipple into his mouth.

The smaller man gasped, his hands that had once been petting gently seized Harry's curls in attempts to tug him off as he squirmed, "H-Harry!"

Harry smirked without removing his mouth from the raising nub, swirling his tongue around it as his other hand slipped to thumb at Louis' other nipple. Louis _always_ had sensitive nipples, so Harry usually had a fifty-fifty chance of earning a positive response, and hair tugging was _definitely_ a positive response. He knew Louis wasn't _actually_ trying to pry him off. If he had wanted Harry to stop Harry would have received a light smack to the back of his head, but instead Louis was gasping and wiggling.

"That's too much fun," Harry hummed as he pulled off the nub, blowing cool air onto it to make Louis shudder.

His dick was hard against Louis' hip, and Louis' seemed painfully hard against his leg, so he pulled back to slip out of his jeans. Louis attempted to sit up, but Harry reached a long arm out to gently push Louis back down by the shoulder. He wiggled further down their bed, slotting himself between Louis' legs so he could duck down and mouth at Louis' hardened cock through the smaller man's boxers, tasting an unpleasant taste of pre-come and laundry detergent.

Louis whined in protest, "Off."

"You don't want my mouth?" Harry teased.

At that, Louis reached down and slipped his thumbs into his waistband to try and pull his boxers off on his own. Harry decided he'd be nice to Louis since he planned on teasing him a bit more before giving him what he really wanted, and he helped Louis out of his boxers only to slip back down to pull Louis into his mouth.

He was already grinding his hips against the bed as he suckled at the head of Louis' cock, and Louis was biting his bottom lip so hard that the skin of it was turning white. But Harry knew he could get more out of Louis, he was just in the wrong area. He pulled his mouth off and stroked Louis with his hand a few more times before he crawled and stretched to the best of his ability for supplies. He dug blindly in the top drawer of their dresser for their lube and a condom.

Louis huffed impatiently, "I should have grabbed one of the condoms from the bathroom. Ah well, I don't even care just-"

Harry left the drawer open, holding up an unopened tube of lube, "Please understand how sad this is! Think of how many of these we could have gotten through if you could have lived here all this time."

"Well now I _am_ here, so..." Louis pointed out, smiling slyly.

Harry deposited the condom and lube next to Louis' side, returning back to his position between Louis' legs, remaining in a kneeling position, "So _now_ you're mine. And I'm going to do something I haven't been able to do properly in ages."

Louis seemed about to question it, but then Harry was grabbing Louis' legs and positioning them up so that his feet were flat and his legs were spread well enough for Harry to flop on his stomach between them. He placed his palms on Louis' bum cheeks, spreading them a bit, and he felt Louis stiffen as soon as he realized what was happening. And before Louis could react further, Harry was burying his face between the space his palms had opened up, and he was flicking his tongue rapidly over Louis' clenched hole.

" _Oh, oh, oh-"_ Louis whined out, his legs twitching as his hands scrabbled to find something to grab onto. Like always, one settled for grabbing onto Harry's hair, torn between tugging Harry away from the overwhelming pleasure and pushing Harry's head down in attempts to get his tongue inside, and the other hand pulled at the blanket.

Harry chuckled, the vibrations traveling straight into Louis and making him cry out, but then Harry pulled back in the slightest, "We've had to be quiet for so long... and now we, you specifically you loud and sexy bastard... can let loose."

"Tongue, tongue-" Louis begged, tugging Harry's hair in attempts to get Harry back between his cheeks.

Rimming had always gotten Louis worked up so fast, and Harry loved it so much. So he rimmed Louis sloppily, sucking, humming, and prodding with his tongue, all things he knew drew Louis mad. And Louis _was_ going ballistic, babbling and whining as he writhed and arched, his thighs trembling in Harry's hands. Harry eventually slipped a finger in, and then two, prodding up right against Louis' prostate with his long fingers. After seven months with Louis he could always find that spot instantly, have Louis weak and shaky in his arms in minutes.

But with his fingers _and_ is tongue in Louis, he had to really grab onto Louis with his hand that wasn't inside the pleasured boy, as Louis was practically convulsing, the noises he was making completely incomprehensible. His dick looked dark and thick pressed stickily up against his tummy, and Harry's own dick was painfully hard against the bed where Harry was occasionally grinding. So finally, he pulled his fingers out and crawled up Louis to kiss away Louis' desperate tears. He wiped at his mouth to free himself from the mess he had made, and tried to press a closed mouth kiss to Louis' lips before Louis was grabbing him needily and forcing his tongue against Harry's.

"Okay?" Harry asked him softly, stroking Louis overheated and tear stained cheek. He knew he'd worked Louis up pretty heavily, and he didn't want Louis passing out on him or something. It had never happened before, although once Louis had been scarily unresponsive to Harry's words. He ended up holding Louis close that day instead of fucking him, and by the time Louis had recovered Louis' family had returned from the mall.

"Fuck me," Louis groaned, and Harry nodded. He knelt back between Louis' legs, stroking himself a few times before fumbling to open the condom. Louis, always the impatient one, sat up and snatched it from Harry's hands. He attempted to tear it open with his teeth, managing to bite the actual rubber and break the rim of it. He wailed at that, and Harry pulled it from his trembling hands.

"It's alright, it's alright," Harry soothed, pressing soft kisses to Louis' nose and forehead. "We just won't use one. I'm going to take care of you, just relax, baby."

He unscrewed the lube and pulled the seal from it, screwing the lid back on and drizzling some into his hand so he could rub it over his dick. He squeezed some down the crack of Louis' bum next, not bothering if he got some on the comforter. Using a single finger, he slicked up Louis' hole, feeling it clench desperately as he stroked over it.

"Please," Louis whimpered breathlessly, and Harry nodded.

He lined his dick up against Louis, who desperately splayed his legs wider, and then Harry was pushing into the smaller man in one smooth motion, figuring he'd teased Louis enough. If they waited any longer Harry knew he'd end up coming rutting against the bed while Louis came from Harry's tongue and fingers. Carefully, he wiggled so that his balls were flush to Louis' bum, and then he leaned forward over Louis, resting his forehead to Louis' sweaty one.

"Alright?"

Louis tugged Harry more efficiently on top of him, wanting the weight of the larger man pressing him down, and in return he wrapped his legs around Harry's waist and rolled his hips, "Can you..."

Harry rocked his hips carefully, and a sigh of relief left Louis' lips, so Harry used it as the sign that he could push in a bit harder, "Yeah? Just like this?"

" _Yes_ ," Louis hissed, one arm wrapping around Harry's middle while the other reached up so his fingers could tangle in Harry's hair.

"Love you," Harry grunted, his eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of Louis clenching and unclenching around him. He was fairly certain he wasn't going to last.

Louis gave a garbled agreement that sounded a bit like an I love you, but Harry rutting into Louis a bit harder, and Harry knew Louis was most likely already pretty far gone. He considered getting his hand between them to tug Louis off as he felt the familiar warm feeling pool in his tummy, but the smaller man's dick was already trapped between them, most likely being stimulated by their sweaty abdomens rubbing slickly together.

He pulled his knees up to get better leverage, make it easier to work his hips into Louis. The change in angle had it so he was sliding right up against Louis' prostate, and Louis nearly screamed, "F-Fuck, there-"

"There?" Harry rocked a bit harder, and although Louis didn't answer verbally, the squeal that left him basically summed it up.

Harry was almost pounding into Louis at that point, and Louis was a sobbing mess beneath him. The bed was knocking against the wall, the frame squeaking with their efforts, and Harry attached his lips to Louis'. He could feel Louis attempting to kiss back even though he was mainly panting and whimpering into Harry's mouth. Slipping a hand up, Harry stroked the damp hair back from Louis' forehead, tugging on it lightly, and that was that. Without warning, Louis was gasping out Harry's name, arching up into Harry's hips as he came stickily between their chests, and Harry sped up sloppily. He gathered Louis' legs up better, pounding impossibly harder into Louis to work him through his orgasm and send himself spurting once, twice, three times into Louis before he was collapsing, only barely remembering to keep his full weight off of Louis. He was spent, but he was afraid Louis' ribs might have still been a bit fragile.

Louis was still whimpering with each gasp that escaped him, trembling beneath Harry. It had been much too long, and Harry had definitely given Louis all that the older boy could handle. He slipped out of Louis so that he could roll and have Louis draped over himself instead of remaining draped over Louis. He knew that fluid would be leaking intimately out of Louis already, so he blindly reached for the tissues on top of their dresser with one hand as he held Louis' shaking form to his chest with the other.

He wiped half-decently at Louis gently without sitting them up, and then he simply cuddled Louis with both arms while he waited to come down from their post-orgasmic highs. Eventually, Louis' shaking subsided, and Harry could feel Louis' thumbs stroking at his side.

And like he had expected, Louis groggily groaned, his voice hoarse from screaming, "Good God."

"Good?" Harry chuckled sleepily.

"Nng, yes," Louis nodded, keeping his cheek pressed to Harry's chest. "I don't think I can walk. Sucks, cause I've got to pick up trash tomorrow."

"Sorry, Shakira," Harry hummed, nuzzling his nose into Louis' hair before his nose scrunched. "Your come is drying on me, and we smell..."

Louis grunted, "There's no way I have the energy to shower."

"Come on, I'll carry you," Harry insisted, gathering Louis up in his arms. "Wrap your legs around my waist, love. You've got to help me a little. Hold on tight, too."

So Harry carried Louis to the bathroom like Louis was a small child, and he washed both himself and Louis' body as Louis stood sleepily beneath the spray. Louis woke up enough to brush his teeth, and in the bedroom he stood and waited for Harry to toss the comforter to the floor, and then finally the two were cuddling beneath the sheets.

"Mmm..." Louis mumbled as he snuggled against Harry's chest. "You smell like green apples."

Harry's brow scrunched in confusion, "We don't even have green apple scented soap..."

"Egghead," Louis hummed. "Y'Just smell like green apples, I dunno why."

"Okay, Shakira," Harry chuckled.

They were quiet for a few minutes, and Harry figured Louis had passed out, but then Louis was suddenly picking his head up, "Hey."

"Hey."

"Earlier you said we were gonna get married. Are we gonna get married?" Louis asked.

Harry pulled back a bit to glance at Louis' face, attempting to determine in the dark if Louis was awake enough to know what he was saying. Louis was gazing back curiously, and Harry nodded slowly, "Well... I kind of figured we would. I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?"

"Yes," Louis guffawed. "What kind of question is that? Ask me right now. Or no, I'll ask you. Wait. We need a ring, let's go look at rings tomorrow Egghead-"

Harry laughed as Louis rambled, "Hey. Why don't we sleep, yeah? And tomorrow after work if you still want to go look at rings then we'll go look at rings. I mean, we should probably try and find some place that _won't_ have a poster of your face inside..."

"And I guess I should wait until I can buy you one," Louis groaned. "Damn. This really sucks."

"No rush, babe," Harry assured. "I'm not going anywhere. We don't need a wedding or a ring to make you my one and only."

Louis pulled back, touching Harry's cheek, "Y'mean that? I'm your one and only?"

"You're my one and only," Harry promised. "My Shakira, my Robin Hood. The one I wanted most no matter how crazy I thought I was. I love you and I mean it."

"Oooh," Louis giggled. "I like this."

Harry laughed, "You need to go to sleep."

"You're my one and only, too," Louis suddenly said sincerely, because he really did love Harry. He'd loved Harry from the moment he started getting to know the agent, could hardly believe they'd come this far from the time when he had to convince Harry that he _wasn't_ crazy, wasn't a bad agent for falling in love with a thief, because that thief had fallen just as in love with the agent on his case. And he couldn't picture his life without the younger man. "Honest. That's not my sleep deprived mind, I mean that, Harry. I love you so much. I mean it."

"I believe you," Harry said softly, feeling slight tears well in his eyes that he hoped Louis couldn't see in the dark. They were only because he was happier than he'd ever been, he'd finally gotten his Robin Hood. They still had five more years of Louis making up for his crime, but they couldn't keep them apart any longer. Louis could finally be Harry's one and only. The sassy, jewellery stealing Robin Hood that had once mocked Harry through countless amounts of videos, the one that had driven Harry mad with a variety of feelings and made him feel like he was going crazy. He and Louis had made it through Louis' case despite Louis being one of England's most wanted and no one would be able to take them away from one another. "I love you, too. Goodnight, Robin Hood."

But Louis was already breathing deeply against Harry's chest. Harry cuddled Louis closer and fell into a restful sleep, just like he knew he would every night after that for the rest of his life, with his one and only, his Shakira, his Robin Hood, his Louis, the one he wanted most.

_fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, thanks for reading! Hope it wasn't too awful. I rather enjoy these characters so I might write little one shots based off of this. I'll just combine them all into one big collection if I do, most likely. So if you're interested, watch out for that. Love ya! - Elsie xx

**Author's Note:**

> If you find any errors, please tell me about them in the comments? If you love me enough? ♥ - Elsie xx


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